What do Girl Scout cookies have to do with science, technology, engineering, and math? For one woman, everything!

CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA Sylvia Acevedo said Girl Scouts was the launching point for her career. She spoke to hundreds of people Thursday at Spirit AeroSystems about her journey from Girl Scout to rocket scientist.

“I’m going to be an engineer,” she demanded, when someone told her at a young age that girls could not be engineers.

Acevedo did not know it at the time, but she would become a pioneer in her field. She attended Stanford University, started her career as a rocket scientist at Jet Propulsion Labs, and later worked as an engineer for IBM.

for more about Sylvia Acevedo’s career and accomplishments.

Now she serves as CEO of the Girl Scouts, where she’s teaching other girls to pave the way, especially in the evolving world of technology.

“We need to make sure that our girls have the skills, so as the world is being redesigned and recreated right now, they’ve got the skills to create the future as well,” said Acevedo.

She credits her Girl Scout leader for teaching her to see the stars as more than just twinkly lights; and also to set goals and create opportunity. It all started with those iconic Girl Scout cookie sales.

“How do you get there? What is the path you take? And you break it up into little steps to get there,” explained Acevedo. “That simple thing that you can create your future was mind blowing for me. For me, it felt like I had just been taught the secret to success.”

Sylvia says many successful women got their start selling cookies with the Girl Scouts, including astronauts, political leaders, and even some of the women at Spirit AeroSystems who came to hear her speak.

Sam Marnick – Executive Vice President of Spirit AeroSystems – says she believes Girl Scouts will help foster the talent her company needs to keep innovating.

“They can reach thousands of people, thousands of young women, and give them the message that aerospace is a great place to work,” said Marnick. “Building fantastic large vehicles that fly in the sky for 30 or 40 years is really inspiring to be a part of, so if we can get people in here, they want to stay.”

The “GIRL” in Girl Scout stands for go-getters, innovators, risk takers, and leaders. That’s exactly what companies like Spirit AeroSystems want and the future needs.

“We are preparing the girls and women to have even more of an impact. And the impact isn’t just for them, their families, their community, but it is for our nation,” said Acevedo.