Photo By Elijah Leinaar | ORLANDO, Fla. - (NNS) Senior Chief Navy Counselor Joy Bragdon, assigned to Commander,...... read more read more
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MILLINGTON, Tenn. – (Sept. 8, 2023) Senior Chief Navy Counselor Joy M. Bragdon's journey encapsulates how childhood achievements can develop into a thriving career. A native of Tucson, Arizona. Bragdon’s transition from a Girl Scout Gold Award recipient in her youth to achieving the rank of Senior Chief in the U.S. Navy serves as an inspiring example for young girls.
“One of the most important but simple things Girl Scouts taught me was to always leave something better than how you found it,” Bragdon said. “Applying this to your day-to-day job and leadership in the Navy allows you to make a positive impact on your Sailors. As a young girl I would say the Girl Scout law and it starts with, ‘on my honor I will try to serve God and my country.’ Now that I don the Navy uniform, I realize how much that really means to my family and country.”
The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest and most prestigious achievement within Girl Scouts of the USA. It represents a significant accomplishment for a Girl Scout Senior or Ambassador, which is typically a high school-aged girl who demonstrates exceptional leadership, organizational skills, and commitment to making a positive impact in their community and beyond.
To earn the Gold Award, a Girl Scout must complete a sustainable community service project that addresses a real and relevant issue. The project should have a lasting impact and involve a minimum of 80 hours of planning, execution, and leadership. It requires the girls to identify a problem, create a plan, gather resources, lead a team, and effectively communicate the project's goals and outcomes.
Bragdon said her journey began through hard work and determination.
“My troop’s focus was confidence and character to promote being confident as an older Girl Scout and how great it can be at any age.” Bragdon continued, “We focused on this by working with the local mall and organizing a fashion show for older girls to show confidence and character. We invited younger girls and encouraged them to stay involved in scouts, and we organized a silent auction where the proceeds funded a scholarship for underprivileged girls to attend Girl Scout events. The goal of those events was promoting confidence and character. This fund is still active today.”
Earning the Gold Award not only cultivated her leadership skills but also accelerated her promotion to E3 upon entering the Navy. This benefit, typically achieved after 18 months of service, reflects the award's impact on her military journey.
“I enlisted as an Airman, paygrade E3, but I worked my way up as a Navy Counselor,” Bragdon said. “Through dedication and hard work, I earned each promotion, and I can proudly say the Girl Scouts started my leadership journey to earning Senior Chief Navy Counselor, paygrade E8.”
Bragdon has served 14 years in the Navy, and through five promotions and many Navy awards earned, she has been a shining example of a top performer who achieves her goals.
“I decided to become a Navy career recruiter in 2014, and ever since I’ve loved helping people start a career in the U.S. Navy,” Bragdon said. “Serving and commitment are two principles that I carried with me from the Girl Scouts to the Navy and both organizations gave me back invaluable life experiences.”
Sandy Saha, Leader of Senior Girl Scout Troop 1750 and Service Team Member of Greenwood, Girl Scouts, recognized the potential of Bragdon's experience as a motivating force for young girls.
“Senior Chief Bragdon's story illustrates the possibilities that unfold when passion and opportunities converge, serving as a source of encouragement for generations to come,” Saha continued, “I believe this can resonate in the hearts of young girls everywhere.”
Bragdon's journey underscores the potential of Gold Award accomplishments to serve as launch pads toward impactful futures.
“It’s so surprising how much the Navy and Girl Scouts have in common, it set a foundation of standards and traditions, so it made adapting to the Navy so much easier,” Bragdon said. “I learned the importance of finishing something you started and seeing the benefits of those accomplishments. The diversity Girl Scouts has and being a sister to every Girl Scout at a young age, correlates to my everyday life as a sister in the Chiefs Mess.”
Bragdon's narrative illustrates the possibilities that unfold when passion and opportunities converge, serving as a source of encouragement for generations to come.
“I love recruiting because you get to make a direct impact on people in a positive way every day,” Bragdon said. “Throughout my 10 years in recruiting I’ve supported hundreds of Sailors entering the Navy and have watched them grow into leaders. This is all to maintain our Navy to be the strongest in the world. I plan to continue to lead the Sailors of Navy Recruiting Command in order to maintain our strength while still changing people’s lives for the better.”
Navy Recruiting Command consists of a command headquarters, two Navy Recruiting Regions and 26 Navy Talent Acquisition Groups that serve more than 815 recruiting stations across the world. Their combined goal is to attract the highest quality candidates to assure the ongoing success of America’s Navy. For more news from Commander, Navy Recruiting Command, go to http://www.cnrc.navy.mil. Follow Navy Recruiting on X[Twitter] (@USNRecruiter) and Instagram (@USNRecruiter) Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/CommanderNavyRecruitingCommand/).
| Date Taken: | 09.08.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 09.08.2023 11:34 |
| Story ID: | 452977 |
| Location: | MILLINGTON, TN, US |
| Web Views: | 285 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, A Journey of Empowerment: From Girl Scout’s Gold Award to U.S. Navy Senior Chief, by Elijah Leinaar, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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