EMILY SALAZAR: I'm joined with marketing specialist Jessica De Leon, with the Girl Scouts of Greater South Texas to talk cookie season and all it does to empower young girls in our community. Jessica, thank you so much for joining me today.
JESSICA DE LEON: Yes, thank you so much for having me.
EMILY SALAZAR: So what can you tell us about this year's cookie season?
JESSICA DE LEON: So this cookie season is a really exciting one, because not only are we bringing back our classic flavors — I always like to ask people, what's your favorite Girl Scout cookie?
EMILY SALAZAR: My favorite Girl Scout cookie is, for sure, Thin Mints, especially when you leave them in the freezer for a little bit.
JESSICA DE LEON: Great choice. I also love Thin Mints too as well. So we're going to have all of your classic favorites, such as the Thin Mints. But this year, this cookie season is really special, because we have a brand new cookie flavor. So this one is called "Exploremores." And the really cool part about this cookie is that's Rocky Road ice cream inspired. It's a very nostalgic taste, which I like. It has a little bit of like a marshmallow taste, like an almond taste to it, and it's a sandwich cookie. So if you like all the chocolate that comes with diamonds, you will definitely love the Exploremore cookie. So we are really excited about bringing out this new cookie this year.
EMILY SALAZAR: Sounds delicious. When and where will we see the girl scouts around town selling cookies?
JESSICA DE LEON: Actually, now you can start ordering cookies! With this modern day and age of technology, we have where, not only can you go to cookie booths, we'll have girls go door to door, but you can also have cookies you order online, and it ships directly to you. But the easiest way to track where Girl Scout cookies are going to be at near you. So Girl Scouts of Greater South Texas, Our abbreviation is G S G S T. So you'll go to gsgst.org and we have what's called the "cookie finder." So the cookie finder, you put in your local zip code, and it'll pop up with all the cookie booths happening within your area and where you can go get cookies.
EMILY SALAZAR: That's amazing. So we get to benefit from these sweet rewards of cookies. But what do Girl Scouts learn from the Cookie Program and what all goes into preparing to sell?
JESSICA DE LEON: Yes, so as any entrepreneur or local business owner or any business owner would do, you have to do everything from money management, customer service, even to marketing as well, for marketing your cookie business. So these girls are ultimately creating their own business with the cookie season. So they learn anything from business ethics, decision making, money
management, people skills. So our program is from ages kindergarten all the way to 12th grade. So we have girls that have never talked to anyone outside their school before, so this gives them nice people skills, customer service skills to talk to the public. And I think these skills are absolutely amazing that they learn within the cookie program, because we use this stuff as adults every single day, and they get to learn as young as kindergarten with learning those skills and showing that confidence. Our mission is building girls of courage, confidence and character, and they truly do build that confidence within the cookie season.
EMILY SALAZAR: That's amazing. You know, Girl Scouts is such an amazing organization and cookie season, who doesn't love it? So Jessica, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us today.
JESSICA DE LEON: Yes, thank you so much.