Annual Navajo Nation STEM Camp for Girl Scouts a Success

Published July 5, 2019

CROWNPOINT, N.M. — As the Navajo Nation Girl Scouts STEM Camp was coming to an end, a young girl jumped for joy when it was announced the distribution of badges and patches would be coming up.

More than 75 girls from communities across the Navajo Nation like Chinle, Crownpoint, Ganado, Indian Wells, Montezuma Creek and more attended the second annual Navajo Nation Girl Scouts STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) camp at Navajo Technical University June 21-23. Navajo Transitional Energy Company sponsored the camp in conjunction with the Girl Scouts-Arizona Cactus-Pine Council (GSACPC).

The camp was open to all Girl Scouts’ troops on the Navajo Nation since they are under the jurisdiction of the GSACPC. An estimated 200 Girl Scouts are registered on the Navajo Nation, stretching from Crownpoint to Montezuma Creek to Tuba City.

“As a father of a Girl Scout in Farmington, I noticed many of the troops on the Nation do not have the same opportunities of the off-reservation troops when it comes to STEM opportunities. This is why NTEC decided to bring the opportunity to them,” said Nathan Tohtsoni, NTEC Education Coordinator. “The girls ended up earning 10 patches and badges during the three days. You would have thought it was Christmas in June when the girls received them.”

This was the second consecutive year NTEC and the Arizona Girl Scouts partnered to put on the free camp. The Explora Science and Children’s Museum in Albuquerque and the Northern Arizona University AIMER Program in Flagstaff also participated.

“We are deeply grateful to NTEC and their support of our efforts to introduce more girls to STEM through Girl Scouting,” said Tamara Woodbury, CEO of GSACPC. “The Girl Scout Leadership Experience is the best leadership development program for girls in the world that has proven positive life outcomes, and every girl deserves the opportunity to be a Girl Scout.

“Thanks to NTEC’s partnership, girls enjoyed a weekend of creativity and critical thinking while earning skills badges in subjects like robotics and hearing from important female role models,” Woodbury added.

The curriculum for the camp centered on robotics. The girls left with their own solar robot and scribbler robot.

Among the female role models who talked to the girls, included Navajo Nation First Lady Phefelia Nez, Council Delegate Amber Crotty, Miss Navajo Autumn Montoya and Sandia National Laboratories weapon systems engineer Shayna Begay.

“Whatever you decide do in life, you will need math,” Begay told the girls. “Engineering comes into play on everything we do. It’s going to be a lot of hard work when you go out to achieve your dreams, but it will be worth it.”

Begay, of Cortez, Colorado, and a former Girl Scout, choose to attend Florida Institute of Technology, so she could see space shuttle launches at Cape Canaveral.

“I have a passion for engineering and talking about it,” she added. “But then to be able to come onto the reservation and speak about it to our girls; it’s awesome.”

Nez, of Hard Rock, Arizona, encouraged the girls to remember their identity as Navajos, especially once they leave for college.

“Schooling is important, but it’s nothing compared to what you learn at home. You will always continue to learn, just like learning never ends for me,” she said.

Daisy Romans, 11, of Montezuma Creek, Utah, was among the young girls who attended. She enjoyed the telescopes provided by NAU.

“I had fun. The best part was about the astrology learning about the stars,” Romans said. “When the sun goes down, I can start to see them. That’s the prettiest part of the day.”

Tohtsoni said to see the glow on the girls’ faces made the entire event a worthwhile endeavor.

“At about middle school age, a lot of girls start to lose interest in math. Our hope is that with this camp, and other STEM programs NTEC sponsors, the next Shayna Begay’s will spread the flame and get excited about ‘boy stuff’ like robots and space shuttle launches,” he said. “These girls are our future, and our future looks bright.”