Professor Hilary Reed (in red jacket, back center), and Houston City Council Member Alejandra Salinas (in front of Prof. Reed in blue blazer and white shirt) with the participants at UH Law's “Galentine’s & Democracy” event.
Feb. 27, 2026 — Dozens of Girl Scouts visited the University of Houston Law Center recently for “Galentine’s & Democracy”, a new student-led initiative designed teach young girls about democracy, leadership, and the legal system.
The event was the first collaboration of its kind between four UHLC student organizations, the Latinx Law Student Association, the Association of Women in Law, the Black Law Students Association and the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, and the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto. through interactive activities and guest speakers.
Professor Hilary Reed, with UHLC’s Lawyering Skills and Strategies Program, credited 3L Romina Castañeda, pro bono and policy events chair with LLSA,
“She wanted to have more volunteering opportunities for LLSA students to give back to their community,” said Reed.
“She had a contact with the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto and came up with the idea of having Girl Scouts come to the law school to learn about democracy and the government from law students,” said Reed, who helped organize the event. “She wanted it to be welcoming to the Girl Scouts and asked the other organizations to join.”
This event was designed to help the Scouts gain practical experience with democratic processes and provided them with the opportunity to interact with UHLC students, faculty and elected officials.
It included interactive lectures, impromptu speeches and hands-on sessions where participants drafted letters to their state representatives, participated in mock elections, and campaigned to be president, senator, congresswoman or judge.
“The girls were able to present their speech in front of each other on issues they felt passionate about and were able to also learn how to think on the spot by taking questions from other Girl Scouts and the law students,” Reed said.
Afterwards, the Scouts toured the law school and concluded the day with a lunch and Democracy panel featuring Professor Reed, LLSA President Destiny Anguiano (3L), and Houston City Council Member Alejandra Salinas. Moderated by Castañeda, the panel explored topics ranging from early experiences with democracy and personal journeys in law to current challenges facing democratic systems and advice for young girls aspiring to lead or pursue legal careers.
“The Girl Scouts were able to learn and interact with various law students and see democracy in action”, said Reed.
Girl Scout troops in attendance included: 109059, 138129, 139135, 143114, 148046, 16150, 21162, 21220, 109089, 109059, 138129, and 143114.
“Special thanks to all the volunteers from LLSA, AWIL, BLSA, and APALSA who provided their time on a Saturday,” said Reed. “And a thank you to Girl Scouts of San Jacinto for allowing us to host them and for being such enthusiastic participants in this program.”
More than two dozen UH law students, from first-, second-, and third-year classes, helped organize and lead the event. Key student leaders included Maya Lyght (3L), president of AWIL; Anguiano, Diego Soto (3L), external vice president of LLSA, and Castañeda, who served as moderator.
