Rainbow Girls Leading the World

Every now and then here on the blog, we’re going to learn about a former Rainbow girl who is out there doing amazing things as a leader in our country. Today that amazing woman is Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger.

Dorothy is a former American Astronaut and is the first person to ever attend space camp as a child and then go on to become an astronaut as an adult! She began her career as a teacher, teaching high school earth science and astronomy for 5 years. She also coached track and the Science Olympiad, a big team science competition.

She was selected to become an astronaut in 2004 and successfully completed all of her training in 2006. For her training Dorothy had to gain new science and technical knowledge, learn all about the shuttles and the International Space Station, as well as go through new physical trainings, flight training, water and wilderness survival training.

Dorothy went into space in 2010 in a successful mission to bring supplies to the International Space Station. For her next mission, in 2012, she became an aquanaut! Dorothy spent 12 days under water on a deep sea exploration mission.

Here’s what Dorothy  has to say about her time in Rainbow (via the Supreme webpage, gorainbow.org):

“By being a Rainbow Girl, I learned leadership skills, poise, public speaking skills, a responsibility to my community, and I met life-long friends.

I have a lot of good memories of being a Rainbow Girl. I enjoyed going to the Colorado State Capitol for mock trials with Jobs Daughters and DeMolay. I liked our service projects and our sleepovers, and I loved traveling to State and National events. I even liked memorizing our initiation work.

The advice that I would give today’s Rainbow Girls is to find what you are passionate about and pursue it. Keep your goals high and be prepared to work towards them. Do not limit your dreams, make your education a priority, and make sure to stay connected to your community through service work.”

I’m so proud to share the experience of Rainbow with someone like Dorothy!

What is the Most Important Part of Any Relationship?

Today’s blog post was written by our lovely Grand Hope, Chaslynn. These are some great things to keep in mind as we’re going into the holiday season and people are working together to make the holidays happen, as well as enjoying the company of each other…

Hey there readers! After discussing this a few people within and outside the Rainbow community, there has been a consensus in the answer. I asked each individual, “What is the most important part of any relationship?” Their answer: communication. Now we often hear that word – communication – but it is more than exchanging information. We may know how to communicate but is it effective? We communicate every day with our families, friends, and workers – communication is a huge part in everyday life. Communication is a learned skill which always needs to be improved and revamped.

Communication is more than talking or getting your point across – effective communication is a two-way street. It consists of verbal and nonverbal communication, engaged listening, recognizing, and understanding your own emotions as well as the
person(s) you are communicating with. There are a variety of forms of communicating such as face-to-face, written (text message, email, etc.), phone calls, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Regardless of the form of communication, there are a few guidelines to keep in mind the next time you are communicating with someone:

• While communicating with another person regardless of the media, you must take into account your word choice, tone, and body language. Keeping in mind the person receiving the message may not understand or may misinterpret the message.
• Engage in the conversation, ask questions, listen, and do not let your emotions complicate the situation.
• If you do not understand what has been said or what has been asked – ask for clarification, repeat what you understood, and do not be afraid to ask questions.
• Be honest while communicating with someone, understand she may have a different point of view, and pay attention to her reaction or body language.
• While speaking be honest and direct, be respectful, patient, and do not let your emotions guide the conversation away from the intended message.

The Things You Realize You Took for Granted About Rainbow After Retuning as an Adult

I was a Rainbow Girl in the 90’s. I loved it and it filled much of my life from 12 to 20 years old. After Rainbow, it was important for me to have an adjustment period, and to fill my time with some other things that were important and interesting to me. Returning to Rainbow many years and life experiences later… I’ve realized there’s a lot we took for granted!

1. Rainbow gave us the chance to work with all different kinds of people. When I look around the room at Grand Assembly I see so many girls of very different backgrounds, personality types, talents, and abilities. Each of them are here to work together and support each other, in the name of sisterhood.
2. Rainbow gave us so much confidence. I think about how nervous I was to do ritual work or floor work for the first time. After a few years of it the nerves were gone. That carries with you throughout your life and it’s fun to watch the confidence grow in the girls now.
3. The leadership experience was truly unique. To run meetings, plan events, create service projects, raise money, generate ideas, plan, and execute all of that… you learn about responsibility, seeing something through to the end, and the type of leader you want to be in life.
4. The Rainbow adults you had in your life were like second parents. When you come back you get the chance to connect with them again and you realize how much mentorship took place. They taught you so much and helped create the person you are today and now YOU have the chance to do that for a girl!
5. Rainbow taught us the true meaning of service. When I return I see it still lives in the girls’ hearts. It’s nice to support that and get a living reminder for yourself.
6. There are very few groups you can belong to where people clap for you just for walking into the room. Now that’s some confidence building! When you come back, clap and cheer really loud.
7. After years of being away, you realize it’s really fun to dress up sometimes!
8. Rainbow feels like home. Coming back, seeing some familiar faces, greeting new ones, enjoying beautiful old traditions, and learning about brand new ones… you realize you have this place where there’s a sense of community and it’s like you never left.

Rainbow Girls Leading The World

I thought it might be fun to take a look at some Rainbow majority members on this blog, and think about how they are leaders today. There are quite a few famous former Rainbow Girls. Let’s start with one of the most famous and accomplished of all: Sandra Day O’Connor, Supreme Court Justice of the United States from 1981-2006. She was the FIRST WOMAN EVER to serve on the Supreme Court!

Here is a little glimpse of Justice O’Connor’s leadership style, through a few of her quotes. I think we can all be very proud to be her Rainbow sister.

I think in this last one, some of her Rainbow foundations show through!