Staff Spotlight: Hannah Sopak
We sat down with Hannah Sopak, GSGC’s Product Program Coordinator to get to know more about her and her role with GSGC.
What is your favorite GS Cookie?
Trefoils, I love a good shortbread.
Tell me something about yourself.
I love to travel. It started when I was young. My dad was in the Coast Guard and we moved around a lot, and my mom was very much, “Let’s go. Let’s find something to do and do it.” Any new place that we lived, we would go out and explore. We even drove from California to Georgia when we moved from Guam!
Whenever I’m able, I love to go and see my brother play baseball. I went to Ireland and Scotland with my mom and sister a couple of years ago. Outside of Ireland and Scotland, I haven’t really traveled outside of the country, but for Christmas I get to go to Costa Rica for the first time! That will be exciting.
I’m eager to travel with my husband. We got married December first, and I postponed my honeymoon so I can be here for cookie season. We still haven’t decided what we’re doing for our honeymoon yet, but I’m sure it’ll be fun. We’re not even sure when we’ll be going. I just told Shayla that I’d be here for cookie season, so probably April or May. I think we’re leaning towards Greece. I don’t know. I suppose I have to talk to my husband. We have to compromise, come to an agreement.
Can you tell me a little bit about what you do for council?
As the Product Program Coordinator, I help girls become entrepreneurs through the Girl Scout Cookie program and the Sweets & Treats program. I help the volunteers and parents with anything they need related to the product programs. For example, if they need assistance logging into Digital Cookie, I’m the Digital Cookie guru. I can help with eBudde, too. If they’re missing rewards, they can reach out to me.
Basically, if anyone needs help with anything Cookies or Sweets & Treats, after they go to their TPM or CPM/VPM, I’m the one they should get in touch with.
What do you like most about what you do?
I love the excitement and passion the girls have for their cookie businesses and entrepreneurship. I love helping them with any questions they have, and it makes my day when I get to meet them at rallies. It’s amazing to see how incredible they are at what they do.
Everyone loves Girl Scout Cookies and it always energizing to hear friends or family members say, “Oh, I saw some Girl Scouts at a booth, and I bought some cookies, and they were all excited.” When I go to Publix during cookie season, I get to see the girls’ excitement first-hand. I stop at the booths and donate to the girls’ Soldier’s Angels. I talk to them and tell them who I am and what I do. Their faces light up when the find out I work for council, and they always want to take pictures with me. I feel like a celebrity.
What is your why?
I was a Girl Scout. I earned my Silver Award. I truly enjoyed being a Girl Scout. It gave me confidence and joy and it enabled me to see women in careers where you wouldn’t normally see them (like the military). As a young girl it helped me realize, “Oh. I can do that.”
That’s my why. Giving the girls confidence that they’ll carry on through their college years and adult lives. The development their confidence, their excitement when you work with them, and their passion and pride for being a Girl Scout.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
I love working with Gateway. I love Shayla, I love my coworkers, the volunteers. I love seeing that everyone’s purpose is the girls. It’s just exciting to see everyone come together.
