National Delegates

Jenifer Barajas

Jeni is a Mission Village resident whose Girl Scout journey began as a Brownie and continued through high school. She made her favorite childhood memories in Girl Scouting: making new friends, camping and enjoying traditions. Her Girl Scout sisters are still some of her closest friends. When her daughter Gabriella decided to join Girl Scouts, Jeni became her troop leader. She quickly increased her volunteerism with Girl Scouts San Diego in order to seek more opportunities for the girls in her troop and service unit. Jeni is a council delegate for Mission Trails Service Unit and a council trainer. She enjoys hiking, geocaching, gardening and volunteering with her children at Feeding America San Diego and the Serra Mesa Food Pantry. Jeni and her husband have a teenage son, in addition to Gabi, now a Girl Scout Junior. 

Maria Burritt
Maria resides in Kensington. She started Girl Scouting as a Daisy and fell in love with community service her first year. She tutors refugees at an elementary school, conducts cookie selling trainings for Brownies, and sells notecards she creates, using the proceeds to send children with disabilities to plays. She frequently speaks at gatherings throughout San Diego County about epilepsy, autism, Girl Scouts and girls in science. Active in Girl Scouts San Diego’s A-Troop program for seven years, Maria frequently represents our council at events and media appearances. She won the Got Milk? billboard contest in 2013. Maria earned her Silver Award with a project called “Creating Tolerance: Through the Voice of Holocaust Survivor Rose Schindler." Inspired by her 18-year-old brother, who has autism and epilepsy, Maria dreams of becoming a neurologist and finding a cure for autism.

Leslie Catanzaro
Leslie, a Pacific Beach resident, earned her Girl Scout Gold Award in 1985. She has a BS in Engineering and Applied Science from the California Institute of Technology and an MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington. She worked for the Boeing Commercial Aircraft Company in Seattle on emergency escape systems. In 1995, she moved to San Diego, where she worked at Rohr on the X-33 experimental space vehicle for Lockheed Martin Skunkworks and NASA. She currently works with her husband in their family-owned engineering business and participates with her four children in their scouting adventures. Leslie continues to make the world a better place by sharing her passion for science and the outdoors with her community as the leader of Girl Scout Senior Troop 3292 and director of the Pacific Beach Elementary School garden.

Karla Halvorson
Karla resides in Oceanside and has been a leader and co-leader for Girl Scout Troops 1682 and 2157 in Oceanside Service Unit. She was a Brownie in Northfield, MN. Karla is currently a licensed clinical social worker, ordained Lutheran pastor (with a master’s degree in Divinity), and volunteer with Soroptomist International Vista. She serves as an associate member of the North County Anti-Human-Trafficking Coalition. Additionally, as a member of the congregation of San Marcos Lutheran Church, she supports members of North County Interfaith Community Services, North County Immigration Task Force and North County Interfaith Center for Workers’ Justice.

Rebecca James
Rebecca was born and raised in San Diego. She was a Girl Scout for 10 years before becoming a troop leader. Her troop members will soon bridge to Brownies and Juniors. She currently is studying to be a communications professor, with the goal of running her own business from her home in North Park. In addition to her Girl Scout activities, Rebecca volunteers throughout her community. She has been on her own since the age of 16 and considers her Girl Scout troop to be her closest family. After years together, they remain integral to each other’s lives.

Mychal Johnson
Mychal is a bilingual 10^th-grader at Eastlake High School. This 15-year-old began her Girl Scout journey as a teen in the STEM-focused troop she started with her mom and sister. With her troop, she created the “Thinking Outside the Cookie Box” conference where, over two years, she has led more than 60 girls in science and engineering experiments designed to encourage their interest in those subjects. Mychal has earned over 120 community service hours volunteering in San Diego Zoo Corps, through which she teaches zoo guests about animal conservation. She is a member of Jack and Jill of America, an organization that helps its members become leaders, and is serving her second term as chaplain. She enjoys volleyball and has played on her high school team for two years. She wants to attend Cornell University and become a lawyer.

Makenna Lang
Makenna is a lifetime Girl Scout member, with 11 years as a girl member. Recently, she worked with her former troop members to create a group called Fireside, which hosts events for Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors. She is recognitions chair for Fallbrook Service Unit — joining the same team as her mother, who is co-manager. She has served as president of the local Venturing Crew and volunteers as a reading tutor for The Literacy Initiative at Highland Elementary School. She attends the University of California, Riverside, pursuing a double-major in psychology and sociology.

Pam Levin
Pam lives in Imperial Beach and is a substitute teacher for South San Diego County schools. She became a Girl Scout Daisy in kindergarten, and has been involved ever since. She’s a troop leader for Daisies, Brownies and Juniors, and will soon take on a Cadette troop, as well. She has served as membership recruiter and cookie chair for her service unit, receiving the Cookie Award in 2016. An active First Aid/CPR/AED trainer for Girl Scouts San Diego, she recently became certified as an archery instructor. Pam and her husband have two daughters: Abby, a Daisy, and Kennedy, a Junior.

Kassie Panian
Kassie lives in San Marcos. She was a girl member for 12 years and has been an adult member for 17 years, first as a leader to both of her daughters’ troops from Daisy through Ambassador levels, and then as a member of the San Marcos Service Unit team. Now the service unit regional manager, she has served in multiple other roles, including council delegate, event director, encampment director, lead membership organizer, events coordinator and service unit manager. She served for two years on the Girl Scouts San Diego Recognitions Task Group. Kassie is a married mother of four.

Linda Sanchez
Linda resides in the city of Imperial, in Imperial County. A lifetime member of our council, she is currently a membership recruitment volunteer. She is serving her first term on the Imperial Unified School District Board of Trustees. She has been married for 48 years to her high school sweetheart, Richard. Together, they have two grown children, Richard Bryan, married to Margo, and Jessica, married to Jose, who have blessed them with four grandchildren all together: Bryanne, 17; Jacob, 16; Dillon, 15; and Cain, 7. Linda enjoys family time and adventures, volunteering with the concentration of youth leadership, reading, organic gardening, traveling and tending to her six backyard chickens. She dabbles in various art medias — quilting, sewing, scrapbooking, water color, home arts and crafts. 

Jaddin Thomas
Jaddin is a 14-year-old freshman at High Tech High in Chula Vista. She joined Girl Scouts as a Junior after being stationed here from Ohio due to the Military. She has been mentoring her sister troops since then. She has organized and helped run Sunny Trails Service Unit’s Cookie Kickoff for the past three years, helping more than 500 girls prepare for cookie season. She has shown many leadership skills through Girl Scouts and school. Last year, she volunteered as a day camp aide for Girl Scouts San Diego’s Cool Skates session. She has also served as a Student Ambassador for Finish Chelsea’s Run for three years. She has gone to New York and Los Angeles with her troop and has explored Costa Rica through the Destinations travel program. Jaddin earned her Bronze and Silver awards, and is currently working toward her Gold Award. 

Amira Walia
Amira is a 17-year-old junior at Scripps Ranch High School. She has been in Girl Scouts since kindergarten, has completed her Bronze Award, and is currently working on her Gold Award. Amira has won scholarships through Girl Scouts’ collaborations with the Malala Foundation and IDT911. Amira enjoys being involved in her community by doing monthly volunteering activities with her troop and volunteering at her temple. She is a member of her school’s ASB and Indian Culture Club, an editor and writer for the literary magazine, and president of the Career Corner club. She is also a member of the National Honor Society. Outside of school, she interns with Nordstrom and her local assembly member. Amira loves traveling and has been to more than 12 countries; she hopes to take a trip through Girl Scouts in the next year. 

Michelle Wilkinson
Michelle lives in El Centro. She has been a leader for her daughter’s troop for five years. She has been the cookie coordinator and Fall Sale coordinator for Imperial Valley Service Unit for four years now, and took over the cookie cupboard last year. She received the Cookie Award in 2016. Michelle is a real estate agent and works for the family business. She has been married for 14 years and has a daughter, who is 10, and a son, who is 9. When she is not working on Girl Scout projects, she is traveling with her children to soccer games, baseball games or 4-H meetings. Her family is her life, and making them happy makes her happy.