There's a new woman in charge of the Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas, and she's a woman who knows how to take charge.

Girls Scouts CEO Angie Salinas served as a major general in the United States Marine Corp. She was the first Latina to hold that position.

Angie Salinas brings 39 years of experience as a leader to the Girl Scouts and she brings a lifetime overcoming obstacles.

Before rising through the ranks to become the first Latina major general in the Marine Corp, Salinas was a struggling student, the first in her family to go to college.

"The end of my sophomore year I found myself on the verge of dropping out. I went to mail a letter and out came a United States Marine recruiter and he said why aren't you a Marine?," said Salinas.

One week later she was at boot camp where she became a trailblazer.

"I was ignited with this passion to serve something greater than myself and more importantly it taught me that I was going to have to earn everything in this world and nobody was going to give you anything. i went back and finished school. Many of the jobs I had I was the first woman to fill in those jobs. I felt a lot of pressure, wow, I need to do a good job or another woman may not be allowed. Over those 30 years I saw changes where now women are being allowed to go to combat," said Salinas.

In 2006, she was the change as the first Latina to be promoted to major general.

"I didn't realize it was going to be such a big deal being the first Latina," she said. "It drew a lot of attention nationally. At first I was really, really surprised by this because I was just a Marine but then I realized with it came great responsibility, I realized this was an opportunity for me to show people you can go there. you can be and become what you aspire to be by education and working hard."

After serving 39 years, she retired and moved to San Antonio where she was asked to serve again.

"The mission of Girl Scouts is making girls of courage, confidence and character that are going to make a difference just spoke to me because it sounded very much like my mission as a Marine to serve something greater than myself. I like to tell young girls I was a girl scout for one year and I made it from private to major general.

If I had been a Girl Scout for two years maybe I'd be wearing four stars, ' Salinas said with smile.

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