These nine year old girls may just be tomorrow’s leaders.
by Cheryl Machat Dorskind
March is Women’s History Month
and many fine institutions pay homage, including the Library of Congress, National Archives, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, Smithsonian, and NASA. Women’s’ History month began in 1995. Our local Westhampton Beach Brownie troop celebrated women by sponsoring a panel that included a woman lawyer, a woman police officer, a woman doctor, and a woman photographer (me).
The program began with us reciting the Brownie code (which I actually remembered) and then the panel members answered the Brownies’ questions. The fourth graders smiled brightly as they took notes with neon colored highlighters. The afternoon ended with strawberries, water (no juice or soda!), and of course, brownies.
Questions from our future leaders included:
Brownie: “How do you get an idea?”
Cheryl: “I often “get” an idea when it is least expected. I may be cleaning the house, driving my car, taking a shower, or dreaming. Ideas can come at any moment so I always carry a journal and camera with me.
Brownie: “What kind of camera do you have?”
Cheryl: “I have lots of cameras. The best camera is the one you have with you.”
Brownie: “When did you know you want to be a photographer?”
Cheryl: “I knew I wanted to be a photographer, a writer, and an artist since I was twelve years old. I was enrolled in painting classes, my father built me a darkroom (surprisingly one student knew what a darkroom was!), and I always loved to write. It is important to find your passion.”
