Thursday, April 2, 2020

Alum Spotlight: Meet Marisa Beck

Meet Marisa Beck, Owner of Latitude Climbing & Fitness-

Marisa grew up in Boston and has loving memories of going through her neighborhood selling cookies door-to-door and setting up booths at local shops. Her favorite treats are still Thin Mints today. Marisa says Girl Scouts has set the pace for a successful life and taught her to never quit and to have confidence. She has always loved wellness and exercise and is the owner Latitude Climbing and Fitness, a recreation center chain with rock climbing, yoga, youth programs and other services. Marisa says some of her best childhood memories were made at Girl Scout camp having fun and orienting in the woods. Marisa remembers earning her patch in car maintenance knowledge was says it has helped her years later as an adult. 

"I sat in the passenger side of our car parked in the driveway and read the manual, as instructed by the patch. I learned so much about cars! Without Girl Scouts I wouldn’t have ever done that and I still have confidence about car maintenance to this day because of it."

As a Girl Scout Ambassador, Marisa went on to earn her Gold Award, the highest honor and achievement a Girl Scout can earn.

"I created a website for alumni from my cross country team so everyone could review current stats like fastest runner and best hill times. I planned a dinner to bring prominent alumnae together. We had a really special coach who told stories of girls who had run cross country in years past and helped us connect even though we had never met. It developed a legacy and helped us become a strong team that won the State championship that year."

Marisa has always reached for the stars and used her confidence and leadership skills to meet her goals. That's why she is partnering with us to develop the Explore Latitude Climbing patch. Girls will learn about female Olympic climbers, types of rock climbing, body positioning and more. 

From earning her Gold Award as a Girl Scout to owning her own rock climbing gym, she is truly a go-getter.