Iowa Girl Scouts Learn From Local Female Leaders

CORALVILLE, Iowa (KCRG-TV9) - Girls Scouts from across Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois gather on Saturday to listen to local female leaders share their stories on their success. The leadership conference for young girls known as "Share Your Voice" was held in Cedar Rapids last year but event organizers moved it to Coralville because they wanted to expand the topics to all types of leadership speakers and interactive activities.

U.S. Senator Joni Ernst stopped by to tell the girls about politics. The girls asked her questions about how she got into politics, what she like best about Washington, and even who she wants to be the next president. Ernst encouraged the girls to keep up to date with politics and told them about the power of women in politics.

This hit home for one little girl. Emma Jean Roling, an 11-year-old Girl Scout, said she wants to be president some day. She also said she loves to debate and thinks she's pretty good at arguing.

After Ernst spoke the girls broke into small session rooms where they listen to other leaders like former 2013 Miss Iowa Nicole Kelly. Kelly spoke to girls about building their self-esteem and encouraged girls to feel comfortable about sharing their opinions.

At the end of the event, organizers conducted a mock caucus where girls voted for best ways to become leaders rather than actual candidates. Organizers hoped this would also educate them on how the Iowa Caucus works.