For her senior Hero Project, Chloe Hansen gets to enjoy the great outdoors. She has been working with the Girl Scouts organization to plan hikes and other activities for members of a group in Thousand Oaks.

Since the beginning of this school year, Hansen has been preparing activities for Girl Scouts around her own age. She likes that they can relate to each other in the midst of a stressful senior year, and how they have been able to work and form relationships together.

“I’m a different voice, a different opinion for them to see, and possibly another person they could turn to for advice without seeing them everyday,” Hansen said.

Having grown up in Ventura, Hansen knows the best spots to take people to who haven’t spent as much time here. She plans on showing them the best Ventura landmarks, telling about some of its history, and visiting the most scenic hiking trails. In doing this, Hansen hopes to bring attention to the differences between the two towns.

“The best part has to be looking at them, working with them, and having them see me as equal rather than less,” Hansen said. “I feel like I’m helping that part of the community versus just being there and doing work.”

In addition to planning, she will also be accompanying the girls on the hikes because she knows the area so well. On the first scheduled activity, the girls will be walking around downtown Ventura, and then hiking up to the cross at Grant Park.

“I chose Girl Scouts because it’s something new and different for me,” Hansen said. “I’ve worked with a lot of other community service organizations… but I decided to go for this instead.”