Santa Fe New Mexican: Girl Scouts Day Returns to Roundhouse

February 19, 2024

Santa Fe New Mexican, Robert Nott (reporter), and Matt Dahlseid (photographer)

Standing in the spectator gallery of the House of Representatives, Springer middle schooler Reyna Garcia considered the possibility of one day becoming a state legislator.

But Monday — Girl Scouts Day at the Roundhouse — Garcia contented herself with serving as co-moderator of a town hall in which Girl Scouts of all ages asked three state lawmakers questions about the legislative process.

As she prepped, Garcia said she hoped the event would show young women and girls “how they can contribute to the world and how their voice matters.”

By the looks of the current Legislature, that message is getting through: 49 of New Mexico’s 112 lawmakers are women.

Sure enough, one of the first questions posed to Rep. Pamelya Herndon, D-Albuquerque, Rep. Reena Szczepanski, D-Santa Fe, and Sen. Antonio “Moe” Maestas, D-Albuquerque, was how girls can become legislators.

“You start small by just talking to people in your community; find out what’s important to them,” replied Herndon, saying such conversations are a “first step” toward become a legislator. Szczepanski suggested joining student councils and leadership programs in school, while Maestas urged his listeners to practice public speaking and speak up for themselves on school and community issues.

The issue of gun violence came up as one girl asked the legislators what they are doing to protect students. A recent CNN report said as of Feb. 16 there have been at least 12 school shootings in the country this year.

The answer was not easy. Lawmakers grappled with the issue during the recent 30-day session and passed two bills — one imposing a seven-day waiting period before someone can legally purchase a firearm and one prohibiting the carrying of firearms within 100 feet of polling places. Both are on Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s desk and are likely to be signed.

But several other gun-safety bills, like one attempting to limit the capacity of a semi-automatic weapon, failed to gain traction during the session.

While Herndon pointed to success pushing through a bill in the 2023 session that holds adults criminally liable if a gun they own is brandished or used by a minor, Maestas said it can be challenging to enact such laws in a state where “everyone has a gun,” and lawmakers have to think of the good of the population as a whole and not just the rights of one or two individuals.

The solution, he told about 100 scouts and others, is probably “going to come from your generation, your voices.” He urged the Girl Scouts on hand to start working on ideas to address the problem.

Rebecca Latham, CEO of Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails, said in an interview the chance to talk to legislators helps inform the girls — and alters the stereotype of the organization as being about “cookies, campfires and crafts.”

The scouts are about teaching girls leadership skills, empowering them to pursue their dreams and “make the world a better place,” she said.

The legislative town hall is one way to do that, she added.

Monday turned out to be a good day to hold the event, she said, because schools were closed for the federal President’s Day holiday.

That allowed Stephanie Garcia of Springer to drive her daughter Reyna to Santa Fe on Monday. The elder Garcia, who said she was a Girl Scout for three years, recalled visiting the Capitol once as a girl to see “the hustle and bustle, people in suits, laws being made.”

All that activity did not resonate in a way that made her fully understand how lawmaking works, including the challenges and failures. She said she did not want her daughter’s view of the legislative process defined by TV news clips of policies and politics in the Roundhouse.

Bringing Reyna to the Capitol for a day gave her daughter an idea “what it looks like, what it sounds like, what if feels like. Just being in these halls brings it more alive for her.”

Nayeli Andrade, 7, of Santa Fe asks a question to legislators Monday during a town hall event on Girl Scout Day at the Roundhouse. Three lawmakers told the scouts in attendance starting small was the key for girls to eventually become legislators, especially by listening to members of their communities, getting involved in leadership programs at school and speaking up for themselves on issues they care about.

From left, Annabelle Heineman, Olivia Medina and Bridget Benedict — Daisies with Girl Scout Troop 10507 of Los Alamos — say the Pledge of Allegiance on Monday to begin a town hall as part of Girl Scouts Day at the Roundhouse. Rebecca Latham, the CEO of Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails, said the event with legislators, the first since 2020, helps alter the stereotype of the organization as being about “cookies, campfires and crafts.”

State Rep. Pamelya Herndon, D-Albuquerque, answers a question Monday during a town hall as part of Girl Scouts Day at the Roundhouse.

Alana Latham, 11, of Albuquerque Troop 10465 asks legislators what they're doing to curb gun violence Monday during a town hall for Girl Scouts Day at the Roundhouse. Sen. Antonio "Moe" Maestas, D-Albuquerque, said solutions on the issue are probably "going to come from your generation, your voices."

State Sen. Moe Maestas, D-Albuquerque, responds to a question at a town hall Monday during Girl Scouts Day at the Roundhouse.