The Badge Archive

Some are scientists, artists, activists, or pioneers. Some are deeply rooted in religious traditions. Others are guided by personal ethics or cultural heritage. All of them show us what it means to live with purpose.

Whether you’re exploring your own beliefs or learning about others, these women can help spark ideas for who to research as part of your My Promise, My Faith pin. Choose someone who inspires you, whose story reflects a value you care about, and whose legacy helps you see how you, too, can make the world a better place.

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A Note About This List

This list is meant to be a starting point: a collection of admired women from a variety of faiths and philosophies who’ve made a lasting impact through service, creativity, leadership, and resilience. It’s not a comprehensive catalog of every religion or denomination, and it’s not intended to be. For example, under Christianity, you’ll see a mix of traditions. There could be Methodist, Baptist, Catholic, Church of Christ, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We recognize that each of these has its own rich history and distinct beliefs, and that many other faiths and spiritual paths are not yet represented here. The same goes for other categories.

We’ve received a wonderful flood of suggestions from our community. Thank you! While we haven’t heard any concerns about who’s listed, we’ve heard your desire for more names and broader representation. We may expand this list over time, but with so many other projects in motion, we encourage you and your scouts to use this resource as a jumpstart for your own exploration.

The My Promise, My Faith pin is designed to be personal and reflective. Scouts are invited to choose someone who inspires them (whether from their own tradition or another) and explore how that person’s values connect to the Girl Scout Law. If your troop wants to focus more deeply on a specific religion or cultural heritage, we fully support that. This list is just a spark to get the conversation going.

We’re grateful for your engagement, and we hope this helps you and your scouts discover meaningful connections between faith, values, and service.

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Buddhism

• Aung San Suu Kyi – Burmese political leader and Nobel laureate.
• Cheng Yen – Taiwanese Buddhist nun and founder of the Tzu Chi Foundation.
• Dipa Ma – Indian meditation teacher who helped bring mindfulness to the West.
• Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo – British-born Tibetan Buddhist nun and teacher.
• Khema – Early disciple of the Buddha, known for her wisdom and leadership.
• Maya (mother of Buddha) – Honored in Buddhist tradition as the mother of Siddhartha Gautama.
• Pema Chödrön – American Buddhist nun and bestselling author.
• Sanghamitta – Daughter of Emperor Ashoka, helped spread Buddhism to Sri Lanka.
• Tenzin Khandro Rinpoche – Tibetan Buddhist teacher and lineage holder.
• Yeshe Tsogyal – Tibetan yogini and spiritual master, considered a female Buddha.

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Christianity

• Angela Bassett – Actress and advocate, raised Baptist.
• Dorothy Day – Catholic social activist and co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement.
• Dolly Parton – Philanthropist and artist, raised Pentecostal.
• Florence Nightingale – Pioneer of modern nursing, Anglican.
• Harriet Tubman – Abolitionist and Underground Railroad conductor, Methodist.
• Juliette Gordon Low – Founder of Girl Scouts USA, Episcopalian.
• Mother Teresa – Catholic nun and humanitarian, Nobel Peace Prize recipient.
• Rosa Parks – Civil rights icon, African Methodist Episcopal Church.
• Shirley Temple – Actress and diplomat, Presbyterian.
• Sojourner Truth – Evangelical preacher and abolitionist.

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Hinduism

• Anandi Gopal Joshi – First Indian woman to earn a medical degree in the U.S.
• Arundhati Roy – Author and activist, raised in a Hindu household.
• Indira Gandhi – First female Prime Minister of India.
• Kalpana Chawla – Astronaut, raised in a Hindu family.
• Kamala Harris – U.S. Vice President, raised with Hindu and Christian influences.
• Lata Mangeshkar – Legendary Indian singer, Hindu cultural icon.
• Medha Patkar – Social activist and environmentalist.
• Rani Lakshmibai – Warrior queen who resisted British rule.
• Sarojini Naidu – Poet and freedom fighter.
• Sushmita Sen – Actress and advocate for women’s rights.

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Indigenous and Syncretic Spiritualities

• Buffy Sainte-Marie – Cree singer-songwriter and activist.
• Frida Kahlo – Mexican artist who fused Catholicism with indigenous beliefs.
• Joy Harjo – Muscogee poet and U.S. Poet Laureate.
• LaDonna Brave Bull Allard – Lakota historian and water protector.
• Maria Sabina – Mazatec healer and poet.
• Rigoberta Menchú – K’iche’ Maya activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner.
• Sarah Winnemucca – Paiute educator and author.
• Susan La Flesche Picotte – First Native American woman physician.
• Tantoo Cardinal – Métis actress and activist.
• Wilma Mankiller – First female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.

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Islam

• Benazir Bhutto – First female Prime Minister of Pakistan.
• Fatima al-Fihri – Founded the world’s oldest existing university.
• Halima Aden – Somali-American model and advocate.
• Ilhan Omar – U.S. Congresswoman and advocate for justice.
• Malala Yousafzai – Nobel Peace Prize laureate, advocate for girls’ education.
• Nusaybah bint Ka’ab – Early Islamic warrior and advocate for women’s rights.
• Rashida Tlaib – U.S. Congresswoman, Palestinian-American.
• Shirin Ebadi – Iranian lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize winner.
• Tawakkol Karman – Yemeni journalist and Nobel Peace Prize winner.
• Zainab Salbi – Founder of Women for Women International.

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Judaism

• Bella Abzug – U.S. Congresswoman and feminist leader.
• Emma Lazarus – Poet and activist, author of the Statue of Liberty’s iconic inscription.
• Esther – Biblical queen who saved her people, honored during Purim.
• Golda Meir – Prime Minister of Israel and global stateswoman.
• Judith Resnik – NASA astronaut and engineer, second American woman in space.
• Lena Dunham – Writer and advocate, known for her cultural commentary.
• Ruth Bader Ginsburg – Supreme Court Justice and gender equality pioneer.
• Sarah Silverman – Comedian and activist, known for her sharp wit and advocacy.
• Shulamith Firestone – Radical feminist theorist and author.
• Susan Sontag – Intellectual and critic, known for her essays on culture and politics.

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Sikhism

• Bibi Bhani – Daughter of Guru Amar Das, mother of Guru Arjan.
• Gulab Kaur – Revolutionary and freedom fighter in India’s independence movement.
• Harjinder Kaur – Indian weightlifter and role model for Sikh women in sports.
• Inderjit Kaur – Physician and humanitarian, led the Pingalwara charitable institution.
• Mai Bhago – Warrior saint who led Sikh soldiers into battle.
• Manpreet Kaur – Indian athlete and national record holder in shot put.
• Ranjit Kaur – Punjabi folk singer and cultural icon.
• Rupi Kaur – Poet and performer, known for her minimalist style and themes of empowerment.
• Sukhmani Kaur – Youth activist and Harvard Law student.
• Tejinder Kaur – Actress and educator promoting Sikh representation in media.

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Secular / Agnostic / Atheist

• Amelia Earhart – Aviator and pioneer, known for her daring flights and mystery.
• Carrie Fisher – Actress and writer, culturally Jewish, identified as agnostic.
• Elizabeth Cady Stanton – Suffragist and critic of organized religion’s role in patriarchy.
• Greta Thunberg – Climate activist, identifies as atheist and speaks globally on environmental justice.
• Jane Goodall – Primatologist and conservationist, spiritual but not religious.
• Marie Curie – Physicist and chemist, identified as agnostic, first woman to win a Nobel Prize.
• Rachel Carson – Environmentalist and author of Silent Spring, sparked the modern ecological movement.
• Rebecca Solnit – Writer and activist, known for her work on feminism, climate, and social justice.
• Simone de Beauvoir – Philosopher and feminist theorist, author of The Second Sex.
• Virginia Woolf – Author and advocate for women’s intellectual freedom and creative autonomy.