Full Circle: Growing, Thriving, and Giving Back through Girl Scouts

Meet Alexis Cook , a Girl Scout through and through who continues to give back to the organization that has done so much for her. She's a Gold Award Girl Scout and has been an active member for 18 years, including five years as a troop leader. She was one of the founding leaders of Troop 5361 at Prestonwood Montessori and currently leads her daughter’s Brownie troop in Frisco as well as Troop 1620 at St. Philip's School and Community Center in Dallas.

Her desire to give back comes from watching her mother volunteer and out of gratitude for all the opportunities Girl Scouts afforded her. She knows firsthand how important it is for girls and women to develop the leadership skills and confidence that serve them throughout their personal lives and careers.

"I'm so grateful that the Girl Scouts helped me discover who I wanted to be and encouraged me to succeed," Alexis says. "It sparked my interest in helping other girls and women because I remember how empowering it felt to have so many positive role models, mentors, and advocates growing up."

Alexis has countless fun-filled Girl Scout memories, like camping and cookie selling. But she is most grateful for the sisterhood she built and?one?council-organized contest, in particular, that truly changed her life. The contest called for girls to submit ideas for a Girl Scout commercial. The winning idea would be featured on local stations during cookie season, and the girl behind it would star in and help produce the commercial. Alexis won, and it opened doors for her—she became a cookie ambassador and spoke to local media on behalf of Girl Scouts. Thanks to experiences like this, Alexis uncovered her passion for the media and entertainment industry and honed her skills as a marketer. Today she is a Lead Marketing Manager at AT&T.

In high school, Alexis had no college aspirations, that is until she received advice from a female mentor whom she met through "You Grow Girl," a program that matches Girl Scouts with women working in their dream careers. Alexis was paired with Mary K, a local radio personality at 95.7 Jamz. The introduction led to a summer internship and eventually a paid position as a board operator and on-air personality at the radio station. While working there, Alexis also met Cannon Kent, the regional marketing manager for Atlantic Records. Cannon would later help get her hired at Warner, Elektra, and Atlantic Records as a regional marketing rep during college.

Alexis recalls telling Cannon she wanted to be an entertainment marketing director like her one day. Cannon encouraged Alexis to reach even higher and suggested that she pursue higher education to better understand the technology behind programming and its impact on the industry. Alexa took her advice. She was one of the first women on her father's side of the family to graduate college; she received her B.A. from Howard University and earned two master's degrees.

On February 11, AT&T hosted a Girl Scouts Day and invited girls and their families to view "The Mount Experience" exhibit by Rodney Hawkins in honor of Black History Month. The exhibit was brought to the Discovery District largely thanks to Alexis, who first met and befriended Rodney when they were both students at Howard University. The event was a success! Over 100 girls came out and started working on their Black History Month Patch or My Family Story Badge. Many of the girls in Alexis's troops said they felt part of something special because Rodney gave them a personal walk-through of his exhibit. They enjoyed asking him questions and speaking with the black vendors at the Black Business Owners Market.

It was truly a unique experience for all involved. We look forward to seeing what Alexis will do next in her latest role as a member of the Junior League of Dallas. The Junior League is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing women's potential, and improving the community. As the community placement chair for Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas, Alexis will work with volunteers, support joint events, and more. Her goal as a Girl Scout volunteer and committee representative is to help our organization continue inspiring girls to discover their passions and access life-changing opportunities just like she did!

Media Contact:?Stephanie Hijazi?