"To travel and be with these kids ... If I can do that, there are no boundaries in life, and I can do anything I set my mind to," Manghan said.
Girl Scout Caroline M. Manghan, of Monson, presents her award-winning project, "Amigos de Guatemala."
Caroline Manghan, 17, was recently recognized for her project, "Amigos de Guatemala," in which she volunteered at a Guatemalan orphanage and forged relationships with children there.
Manghan traveled to Guatemala in the spring of 2011 after finding a charitable organization that assists orphanages in the country. She says she discovered the country after a planned school trip to Haiti was cancelled because of too much violence there.
"I realized I could go other places, and I wasn't limited to Haiti," she said. "I went online and searched and came across Guatemala. I fell in love with it and found an organization that goes there."
Manghan said she got younger Girl Scouts in Monson involved in making blankets for the babies at the orphanage, and facilitated a pen pal program between the Guatemalan children and the Monson girls through a Spanish class.
Manghan, who made a video of her trip in the hopes of inspiring others to travel to Guatemala, said it was an amazing experience.
"I played with the kids and taught them English," she said. "I could tell they didn't get enough hugs in their daily lives. I spoke very little Spanish, and to be able to travel and be with these kids just taught me to do anything. If I can do that, there are no boundaries in life, and I can do anything I set my mind to."
Manghan became a Girl Scout in kindergarten. She said she remembers her elementary school getting involved in organizing donation drives following Hurricane Katrina.
"Just seeing how people reached out and gave so much to help people was inspiring," she said. "Since then, I've seen what I can do as a Girl Scout, and I've never wanted to stop."
Manghan said in a day and age when Girl Scouts may not be a top priority for girls who can get involved in so many other activities, she's glad she stuck with it.
"You can do so much in Girl Scouts," she said. "When you get to be a senior in high school, you will be thankful you stayed with it."
Manghan, who plays on the varsity softball team and has also played basketball and run winter track, recently starred in her school's 9/11 memorial play. She has also recently been selected as a member of her school's Global Scholar program, a program that aims to widen students' views of the world through attending lectures and academic programs. Through the Global Scholar program, Manghan recently traveled to the Amazon, where she was able to participate in an immersion program with local tribes.
Manghan is also co-president of her school's RISE (Reach out In Support of Ethnicity) and SOAR (Sexual Orientations Accepted and Respected) clubs, and a member of gold key admissions guides, student activities and chess club.