Scouts honor Marian Court president

SWAMPSCOTT – She wore the uniform and sang songs while raking neighbors’ leaves, and she sold the cookies.But Wednesday, Marian Court College President Dr. Denise Hammon will receive the ultimate badge for her dedication to the Girl Scouts of America when she is recognized as one of the Eastern Mass. chapter’s 2015 Leading Women.”I’m humbled,” Hammon said Sunday. “I think Marian Court is a wonderful fit for me because of this foundation in scouting. We have such a component of community service. And also that’s a major part of the Sisters of Mercy mission, to become global citizens.”Hammon’s co-honorees include former Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley; Christa Hagearty, president and chief executive officer of Dependable Cleaners; Elaine Steward, vice president and club counsel for the Boston Red Sox; and reporter and anchor Janet Wu.Hammon said that she has fond memories from her Brownie and Girl Scout days as a young woman in Syracuse, N.Y. She recalled doing chores and shopping for elderly neighbors, visiting shut-in residents, and meetings in the church basement when her mother was the troop leader – and, of course, selling cookies.”The cookies are a big deal, and it’s a fundraiser,” Hammon said, laughing. “Those were just fun times, and it felt good to do it. It’s always a fun thing to do, and while you’re doing it, you’re learning to give back. You learn very early – you don’t realize it – but you learn very early that this is what people do to give back to their community.”Hammon continues that dedication to the community as the president of Marian Court College.Marian Court was founded by the Sisters of Mercy, a Catholic order of nuns, in 1964, when the order purchased the White Court mansion on Little’s Point Road in Swampscott, the former Summer White House of President Coolidge in 1925.The school began as a secretarial school for women. But it grew to offer associate degrees, started accepting men, and graduated its first class with bachelor’s degrees last June.The school prides itself on its commitment and support of its local students.Enrollment is small – just more than 200 students, all of whom commute to classes and 90 percent of whom receive financial aid. Many students are the first in their family to attend college.The school also collaborates with local public and community colleges so that students can transfer credits, and offers courses at local high schools that can earn students college credit.Hammon said that Girl Scouts has changed since she was a participant. Young women are tackling global hunger, not just neighbors’ leaves, for instance; and the Internet has changed the way that youth socialize and experience the world.But Hammon said these changes make an organization such as the Girl Scouts important “more so than ever.””Technology and stuff like that is wonderful for staying connected after you’ve had your meetings,” Hammon said. “But I think that the personal contact is so important, having those meetings, sharing with your colleagues, meeting face-to-face.”And while a young woman’s idea of community may have expanded both digitally and globally since Hammon was a scout, the leadership skills that Girl Scouts teach remain the same.”I think Girl Scouts is about mentoring for leadership, and I’ve always been a big supporter of that, in whatever I have done,” Hammon said. “Having the confidence to do things needs to start at a young age, and that’s where Girl Scouts and similar organizations come in and can give that grounding.”