2026 Nellie Wong Magic of Movies Essay Contest Winners
Elementary School: 1st Runner-Up – Sasha Vantuyl, Alvarado Elementary
Cookie Queens
Close to a million girl scouts sell cookies every year, including me. So what made the director pick the people she did? In some cases it was obvious, like Olive, who sold over 12,000 boxes. But then there was Ara who only sold 55 boxes, Shannon Elizebeth who overcame her financial obstacles, and Nikki who wanted to be just like her older sisters and be the top seller. Was it each girl’s perseverance, potential, or entrepreneurship? Olive had to work so hard, it was physically enduring long days and nights were spent selling cookies but more than anything it was mentally hard. Olive shared that she felt pressured by her mom, the troop, and most of all by herself. Olive admits she doesn’t really want to sell cookies anymore, and questions her identity outside of being the “top seller”. That makes me wonder what mental blocks Olive had to go through to finally end up selling 12,000 boxes.
I watched these girls’ lives through a screen and some of it felt foreign and unrelatable, but some overlapped with my life a lot. For example, I ran for student council last year with my best friend and we both won by a lot. So when the application poster appeared in the halls this year, I felt like Olive, who felt the pressure to repeat past success. I had a number of insecurities, like if my best friend won the election but I did not (or vice versa). Also to add to the pressure there were more people running, so the competition felt more intense. Part of me did not want to face a potential loss, so I considered not running. Similar to Olive, I had to work through some mental blocks to enter and end up finally succeeding.
Everything you learn from the moment you’re born is to prepare for the moment you spread your wings and fly. I have always thought of academics as being very important, but as I reflect on the girls’ experiences in the film and my personal experience with student council, I’ve learned that working through mental challenges is just as important as academics. For me some of the most important factors that helped push me through my doubts were: a willingness to fail, the desire to contribute ideas to the school, and most importantly encouraging friendships. The girls in the film not only will finish girl scouts with a trophy but they will learn very important life skills. So yes, this did change the way I think about school. And It made me appreciate everyday activities more. After all there are some things that you will never be able to be taught in a classroom.