A knock at the door can reveal the most gratifying surprises – a long-awaited package, a guest or mouth-watering cookies presented by one of the most successful organizations in sales: Girl Scouts.

They’re cute, friendly, almost impossible to turn down, and they have a monopoly over the most sought after dessert. But what’s behind that box of Thin Mints and a brown uniform?

Senior health promotion major and Girl Scout Elizabeth Ritchie reveals how college students can contribute to the behind-the-scenes work that helps younger Girl Scouts have a rewarding experience.

“In Girl Scouts, when you’re younger, it’s more like you take lead from your leader,” she said. “You get more input from them, and as you get older in Girl Scouts you take a lot more autonomy. So when you’re in Campus Scouts, you become more of a leader to younger girls.”

Ritchie oversees the troop in the Parkview Housing community.

“I’m basically a jack of all trades there. I’m a paid intern, a program aid, a troop leader,” she said. “I do event planning and basically anything they need help with.”

She takes on a big sister role, being a mentor to the girls and providing guidance.

“A lot of the girls I look after live in the projects and a lot of them don’t go to college or don’t graduate from high school,” she said.

As a member of Campus Scouts, an organization that promotes the ideals and practices of Girl Scouting, Ritchie disproves the stereotype that Girl Scouts is exclusively for children. Ritchie has only been a Girl Scout for the last two years, but she takes great pride in teaching.

“I think that because they see [Campus Scouts] and see that we’re in college, we’re basically setting an example as role models to those girls. When you have a group of people who you can relate to, you can definitely see it as more of an opportunity for yourself. It’s more achievable if you see someone else doing what you want to do,” Ritchie said. “Girl Scouts is learning by doing. It’s fun and different. It’s almost like they are learning without knowing they are learning.”

Ritchie was in the office of Campus Scouts one day when her supervisor asked her to brainstorm some ideas for a new recruitment patch. The badge has existed for 20 years as a plain half circle decorated with a rainbow and balloons for Girl Scouts who would bring their friends to meetings and essentially recruit new members. Ritchie reinvented the badge by sketching a very detailed treasure chest as the main focus of the design.

“In Girl Scouts the saying is ‘make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other is gold,’” Ritchie said, citing the symbolism behind her decision to draw a treasure chest. “It’s pink and purple, so it’s also very girly.”

It’s fitting that Ritchie would design a nationally used badge for recruiting because of her determination to spread the word of scouting as much as possible. “Girl Scouts is more than what you think it is. It’s more than just the cookies,” she said. “We’ve got people near 100 whom still volunteer for Girl Scouts. You’re never too old to make an impact.”