At the age of five, I joined the Girl Scouts with the sincere belief that “doing a good deed
everyday” could change the world. Wearing my green uniform and attending scouting events on the
weekends proved exciting as I participated in various activities that emphasized the virtues of
performing good deeds. During my years as a Girl Scout, we cleaned up parks on Earth Day, recycled
garbage, sold cookies for fundraising and directed traffic during community events. In my
unsophisticated and inexperienced five-year-old mind, I believed I could make the world a better
place simply by performing a good deed every day