Becoming a Rocket Scientist, Author, and the CEO of Girl Scouts
How Head Start supported Sylvia Acevedo on her path to success
In celebration of Women’s History Month, NHSA is highlighting the stories of female Head Start advocates and alumni, or in this case, both! Sylvia Acevedo is the CEO of Girl Scouts of the U.S.A., she’s a rocket scientist, she’s an author, she’s an education advocate, and she’s a Head Start alum.
Sylvia grew up in Las Cruces, New Mexico, where her education began at Head Start. She continued on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from New Mexico State University and then a master’s degree in Systems Engineering from Stanford University, making her the first Latinx person to do so.
As Sylvia has pursued her passions in science and engineering and become an acclaimed voice in her field, she has remained dedicated to ensuring that the children who follow have access to educational opportunities of their own. As CEO of Girl Scouts, Sylvia’s leadership is setting up a generation of girls for bright futures with confidence, leadership skills, and mentors.
Beyond Girl Scouts, Sylvia is committed to helping all children across the country reach their potential, demonstrated by her chairmanship of the early childhood subcommittee on the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics and the development of programs that distribute books, toothbrushes, and glasses to children in vulnerable families. In all of Sylvia’s work, she is a strong proponent of a multi-generational approach that partners with the whole family to meet their needs — a key element of the Head Start model.
Sylvia shared with NHSA memories of her Head Start experience and how it was the “head start” that propelled her to incredible heights. Here’s a little bit about her Head Start story:
How do you believe Head Start laid the foundation for your later educational success?
As the second child in my family I was really impatient to catch up to my brother, who was two years older — to read, write better, and learn new things. I was excited by the prospect of joining him at school and starting that journey.
Head Start presented me the opportunity to build those fundamental reading proficiency skills before I started elementary school and really set me up for success. By the time I started school I was ahead of my classmates because I already knew the alphabet and colors, and could recognize common shapes like circles, triangles, and squares.
My Head Start teacher encouraged me to do book reports for Show and Tell. I practiced presenting the book report to my mom, telling her the story in English and translating the story into Spanish, as my mom only spoke Spanish. Each time I presented to her, I’d try to get to the point more quickly or tell her something new about it. The confidence I gained through those types of activities in Head Start gave me an advantage in the classroom when I officially started school.
So I’m a passionate advocate for early childhood educational experiences because I know the power they have to change young lives. Both Head Start and Girl Scouts instilled confidence in me and allowed me to cultivate a can-do attitude.
NHSA:
It sounds like Head Start had a truly transformational impact for you. And each year Head Start partners with a million more children and families who feel that impact, too.
What advice do you have for current Head Start families?
I like to say that children are 25 percent of our population but 100 percent of our future. Head Start really gives disadvantaged kids the social-emotional support and social capital that level the playing field, which is so important for their confidence and sense of self-worth.
It’s so important that, from a young age, children understand there is a world of opportunities out there for them, so I want today’s Head Start families to really encourage their kids to dream big and know that they can go on to make their dreams a reality.
I encourage parents to take full advantage of the parent support specialists they have access to through the Head Start program. These specialists can engage parents in the program and help them understand how to navigate the US educational system and stay involved in their child’s education once they enter traditional schools. This parent engagement is essential to early learning, and it’s so important for parents to cultivate those relationships and shared experiences.
NHSA:
March is Women’s History Month, and you yourself have made history and serve as a role model for women and girls.
What do you think it means to young girls to have strong female role models, especially in fields where women have historically been underrepresented?
Female role models and mentors are indispensable. They can open girls up to new ideas and experiences, and all the opportunities that are available to them. They also give them valuable guidance on how they can achieve their dreams.
My Head Start teacher was one of my first mentors, and she truly changed my life. My Girl Scout troop leader also had an incredible impact on me. She helped me discover my passion for space and astronomy when we were on a troop camping trip. She noticed my fascination with the night sky and pointed out the stars and constellations to me. She later encouraged me to earn my science badge, which I did by building and launching an Estes Rocket after much trial and error!
I took something so powerful away from that experience: that I can do science and math! It was because of the interest I’d sparked at Girl Scouts that I started taking science and math electives in school. The confidence I developed at Girl Scouts enables me to be confident in terms of doing something that not a lot of girls were doing at the time. It led me to be bold and follow my dreams to pursue engineering.
The success I’ve had in my career is directly attributable not only to hard work but more fundamentally, to the mentorship opportunities I had as a child that started at Head Start.
They changed my life trajectory.
I have been able to live a life of living and realizing my potential.
