Path to the Stars

My Journey from Girl Scout to Rocket Scientist

By: Sylvia Acevedo

Narrated by: Almarie Guerra

Length: 6 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

The inspiring memoir for young listeners about a Latina rocket scientist whose early life was transformed by joining the Girl Scouts, and who currently serves as CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA.

A meningitis outbreak in their underprivileged neighborhood left Sylvia Acevedo's family forever altered. As she struggled in the aftermath of loss, young Sylvia's life transformed when she joined the Brownies. The Girl Scouts taught her how to take control of her world and nourished her love of numbers and science.

With new confidence, Sylvia navigated shifting cultural expectations at school and at home, forging her own trail to become one of the first Latinx to graduate with a master's degree in engineering from Stanford University, and going on to become a rocket scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

©2018 Sylvia Acevedo (P)2019 Tantor

inspiring

loved IT, i laughed, cried and really enjoyed it. A book that I would definitely read to my daughters.

Fabulous book

Should be required reading for all young girls. Sylvia Acevedo tells a great story about her life growing up in Las Cruces, New Mexico. She writes about the difficulty girls had when their interest weren’t what was considered traditional activities for girls. Still true today. She tells how she continued to do the things that interested her while giving credit to what she learned from Girl Scouts starting in second grade when she was a Brownie. Very inspiring

Go girls!

I wish all girls had the opportunity to be a girl scout & be empowered & develop self esteem...confidence, character & courage!

Inspirational Story

Ms. Acevedo's story was lively and inspirational. I will be recommending it to any young woman interested in a careers in the sciences and/or leadership, as well as the girls in my Girl Scout troop. With persistence, all things are possible. With the help of the Girl Scouts, Ms. Acevedo learned essential life-skills, and in turn was able to set the course for a successful career.

Note that the book covers instances of domestic abuse, which may be difficult for young readers. While I think this is a great story for young readers, parents should be prepared for questions.

The path was not too difficult

Now, I know being a rocket scientist takes great effort, hard work, discipline and study.

But this book, from its title and description, makes it seem like it's a guide for overcoming the hardships of life to reach for your dreams no matter the odds.

Sylvia's path was really good unless she suffered from a terrible illness like her sister Laura did or she just gave up and didn't try.
* Her father graduated from college, and was a chemist who worked at a University and later on at a laboratory that paid pretty well. Just having college-educated parents pretty much help set your path the moment you're born.
* Her house had air conditioner and was in a middle-class neighborhood with a good school. Her feelings were a bit hurt because her teachers thought she was behind in her education given she came from a poorer neighborhood. But if this is the difficulty that she had to suffer through in life, then it's not too bad.
* Her mother was a stay-at-home mom who cared a lot about the kids and their education. Sylvia learned to read and write English before she ever went to kindergarten.
* She had caring teachers who helped her succeed.

This story is not something that I would ever see made into an inspirational movie or Sylvia becoming a champion for reaching for your dreams. Sure, she can be a role model. But she has to recognize that she pretty much had a great path towards the stars, and she just had to work hard to reach it, like anybody else who wants to succeed.