Former Girl Scout Shares the Positive Impact of Financial Literacy at a Young Age
by Team Sammy
Guest Blogger Summer Lakhani
In this special guest blog, Sammy Rabbit is proud to showcase the journey and insights of Summer Lahkani!
Summer is an undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Tyler, pursuing a degree in Economics at the University of Texas at Austin. She is passionate about sharing her financial literacy journey and helping others achieve educational success, particularly in the area of personal finance. Summer is actively involved in several charitable organizations, including Breaking Barriers Through Education and the Girl Scouts of the USA.
Discover more about Summer and her aspirations on LinkedIn: Summer Lakhani!
My Journey
My financial literacy journey began when I joined the Girl Scouts of the USA as a Daisy. From a young age, my troop and I were introduced to the value of money and its impact on decision-making. I quickly became fascinated by sales and marketing tactics, but what intrigued me most was the power of product creation. We learned essential business concepts—such as sales, marketing, management, and finance—which nurtured and strengthened my budding entrepreneurial mindset.
My sales journey began as a Brownie, by venturing door-to-door to meet my neighbors and sell Girl Scout Cookies. At first, I was intimidated by the idea of speaking to unfamiliar faces. But after practicing my sales pitch, fine-tuning my persuasive techniques, and approaching each interaction with a confident, bright smile, I began to see a steady increase in sales. Each conversation felt like a meaningful achievement and a valuable step forward in my budding business journey. Through this experience, I built connections within my community and learned how to effectively sell a product people love.
After years of practice, my Cadette journey began with organizing cookie booths. My troop and I were eager to sell cookies in public spaces like grocery stores and shopping centers. We spent hours hand-drawing and designing posters that showcased our products and highlighted the Girl Scout Promise. The environment was a whirlwind of glitter glue, poster boards, and puff paint—all in hopes of capturing the attention of potential customers.
Approaching strangers, especially in high-pressure situations, was initially daunting. However, it pushed me out of my comfort zone and helped me grow more confident in public speaking. Some customers had dietary restrictions or allergies that prevented them from purchasing cookies, yet many still chose to donate in support of our troop. Each sale and every donation gave meaning to our efforts and made the entire experience truly worthwhile.
I will continue to carry these impactful moments with me throughout my ever-evolving financial literacy journey. My hope is to inspire others and help foster future stories of financial success.
Connect with our Featured Guest Blogger
To learn more about Summer, connect with her on LinkedIn: Summer Lakhani!
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Attention Young Leaders
We welcome and invite you to participate in Sammy's 'Be the Change' financial literacy initiative for college and high school students.
(1) Join peers advancing awareness on the importance of early age, youth, and family financial education by having your journey into financial literacy featured as a Sammy Rabbit Guest Blogger.
Index of Student Blogs (Click and scroll down)
(2) Then volunteer as a Sammy Rabbit Ambassador or Intern championing financial literacy in your community and around the globe! Learn more in these blogs or by CONTACTING Team Sammy today! We welcome your questions and suggestions on Sammy Rabbit and his mission to get kids, families & communities financially literate.
