Alum Spotlight: Camille Birdsong
Camille Birdsong, a senior at Hampton University majoring in Journalism and minoring in Leadership, grew up through the Girl Scout ranks. She had no doubt that she would continue as a young adult to be part of the Movement. As a lifetime Girl Scout, she is still finding ways to stay connected to her local council, Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast.
Camille is proud that she earned all of the top awards as a Girl Scout, the Bronze as a Junior, the Silver as a Cadette and the Gold during her years as an Ambassador. Her Gold Award project, “Camille’s Melodious Music Program,” was designed for children affected by domestic abuse. “I created a music curriculum that explained music genres, instruments, and theory,” Camille said. “I taught lessons to the children at the HER Shelter, a shelter that houses mothers and their children who are trying to get back on their feet after suffering from domestic violence and abuse. It was a rewarding project, and I know it made a difference in many of the children’s lives. I was able to recruit volunteer helpers who continued the work of the project.”
Camille said she continues to tap leadership skills honed in Girl Scouts. “There are two things that I took away from my Girl Scout experience,” Camille said. “The first is a drive for success. Every time I am writing an article for Her Campus or producing a news story for WHOV-TV News, I am always reminded to work hard towards great results. I think of the times when there was a badge to work towards or a project to complete with my troop. I remained steadfast in what I was aiming for and strived for success.”
As a Girl Scout alum, she has helped with advocacy projects and this fall Camille worked on a student capstone project about the participation of African American Girl Scouts. Camille is on track to graduate from Hampton University in May of 2022 from the Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications. She has already interned with the TODAY Show and the Weekend TODAY Show and hopes to work after graduation with NBC in New York or an affiliate news station in Washington D.C. as a producer, creating and developing stories to share with her community and making a difference—just as she did as a Girl Scout!
