Hillsborough Girl Scout Joins Hundreds At United Nations Headquarters

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — Reya Varun of Hillsborough was among four girls from Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey (GSHNJ) to join hundreds of women and girls from around the world at the United Nations headquarters in New York to participate in the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).

The event took place from March 14 to 25, and was primarily virtual with representatives of Member States, UN entities, and the United National Economic and Social Council accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from all regions of the world invited to attend.

This year’s Girl Scout delegates included: Varun; Sriya Tallapragada, New Providence; Mackenzie Wilson, Westfield and Isabelle Fernandes-Santinho, Kearny.

The CSW's theme for this year "Climate Change-Environment Disaster Risk Reduction," was designed to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change and environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programs.

Varun, a freshman at Hillsborough High School, was chosen to be one of this year’s speakers.

"Last year I was involved in the Girl Scout Tree Promise, an initiative committed to planting trees, environmental stewardship, and other conservation efforts," she said. "I spoke about the Tree Promise and shared our thoughts regarding sustainable projects and experiences in helping to conserve our communities and the environment."

Roxie Zeek, Director of Girl Experience for GSHNJ, coordinated this year’s virtual event.

"I am so proud of these four young women; they represent our council and their fellow Girl Scouts so well," Zeek said. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The girls were able to share their experiences and--more importantly--bring awareness to the social injustices that surround women and girls throughout the world."

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