6 Local Teens Honored By The White House
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Six local teens were honored by the White House for their extraordinary accomplishments.
Tracey Leong explains this special invitation.
These girls were invited to the White House's Champions of Change event Monday, which is designed to inspire the next generations of leaders.
It was a day these Girl Scouts will never forget. Among them: six from central Maryland, all invited to the White House for an event honoring women empowering their communities.
"There were just all these amazing people there who had done amazing things and I was just in awe to be in their presence," said Caitlin Battle-McDonald.
"One of them was 15. I'm 17, so it makes me feel like I can do something at a young age," said Nika Raffie.
Nika and Caitlin are seniors at Dulaney High School and say the event was motivating.
The White House's Champions of Change event recognizes courageous women, each with dreams to make the world a better place. The women spoke about their achievements and after this experience, Nika and Caitlin are looking forward to what they can accomplish by helping others.
"All these women did so many different things. They were all just, at the end of the day, helping people and that inspired me to focus on doing that in the long run," Caitlin said.
These two seniors were also Girl Scout Gold Award recipients, the highest achievement a Girl Scout can earn. Both plan to continue serving the community and making a difference.
"I want to go to medical school and become a doctor. My dream is to work for Doctors Without Borders," Caitlin said.
"Study international relations and hopefully work for the UN and help problems that sort of plague our world today," Nika said.
Seventy-eight Girl Scouts in central Maryland earned a Gold Award this year, which requires at least 80 hours to achieve.
There are more than 25,000 Girl Scouts in central Maryland.