By ILENA ADAMSON

I am nearly 17 years old. I can drive legally without a parent present and I am also critically thinking about college. What comes as a surprise to most everyone I know is that I am, in fact, a Girl Scout. Yes, you can laugh; by this point I’m used to that. And no, I am not going to shamelessly plug Girl Scout cookies.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a Girl Scout. I have been with the same troop for more than 10 years — to the point that they’ve become much like family. When I was a little girl, Girl Scouts represented something important to me: adventure. Because, much to your disappointment, I did a whole lot more than sell Girl Scout cookies in a Thin Mint costume outside local banks.

We went kayaking, rock climbing, white-water rafting. Even to this day, we continue with these adventures. We camped for a week with other Girl Scouts from around the world. I still write to a few from Texas and California — even Wales. It saddens me that when someone thinks of a Girl Scout, they see a short little girl with a sash covered in badges offering you a box of Trefoils before skipping off to read to the elderly.

What never ceases to amaze me is the difference in reaction when meeting a Boy Scout. Ironically, my brother is a Boy Scout; anytime someone heard he was in Scouts, it was normally followed by a pat on the back and a remark along the lines of: “Good work, son! That’s the way to build character!” What do I hear most by people just enlightened of my being a Girl Scout? “Oh, fantastic. I’ll have a box of those peanut butter cookies. They’re delicious!”

I don’t understand why Girl Scouts aren’t recognized for their hard work and dedication, much like a Boy Scout. I’m not just saying this for my own benefit; Girl Scouts everywhere are achieving amazing things and somehow still slipping under the radar while Boy Scouts are praised and encouraged. Then again, Boy Scouts don’t have a reputation heavily associated with those infamous peanut butter cookies.

Don’t get the wrong idea — I am in no way belittling the Boy Scouts. I think they work hard to help their community, develop life skills, learn to be in a leadership position and (at the risk of sounding incredibly cliche) build character. Girl Scouts do much of the same things and experience the same rewards. Granted, we don’t have Pinewood Racecar Derbies or Courts of Honor. We do, however, volunteer in our community just as much as the next Boy Scout. My troop has sung carols at a nursing home, cleaned a day care and planned an entire Father Daughter Dance that hosted more than 100 Girl Scouts of all ages with their fathers in tow.

Boy Scouts have the Eagle Award, which by no means is easy. Girl Scouts have the Gold Award, which is roughly the equivalent to an Eagle Award. We have 30 hours of community service, 40 hours of job-shadowing.

Why is it, then, that when someone hears I’m working on my Gold Award, they ask me what it is — yet when they receive an invitation to an Eagle ceremony, they RSVP within the hour?

I guess the point I’m trying to make is this: Girl Scouts deserve more support — not only when getting the Gold Award, but in any achievement. If you’ve ever purchased those peanut butter cookies, I sincerely thank you for supporting Girl Scouts in that way.

Over the years, I have developed an appreciation — an admiration, even — to Girl Scouts who have gotten their Gold Award. If you’ve received the Gold Award, on behalf of all your Girl Scout sisters, I congratulate you. I acknowledge how you have selflessly improved the lives around you, and I am proud to soon follow in your footsteps. I only hope that those in your community can feel as passionate as I do.

Ilena Adamson of Bothell is a junior at Henry M. Jackson High.