An El Paso Girl Scout’s quest to sell cookies landed her in a documentary and helped earn Troop 50063 recognition from the El Paso County Commissioners Court.
El Paso County declared Monday, Aug 31, “Cookie Queens Day” in recognition of the troop’s participation in the documentary “Cookie Queens.” The resolution recognized that the documentary highlights “youth leadership, perseverance, entrepreneurship, and opportunities” for girls through the Girl Scouts.
Commissioner Iliana Holguin of Precinct 3 presented the motion.
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The recognition comes after a member of El Paso’s troop 50063, Shannon Elizabeth Stevens, was featured in the documentary “Cookie Queens”. The documentary traces the journeys of four Girl Scouts during the Girl Scout Cookies season as each seeks to become the national top seller, following the joys, pains, and pressures they experience.
The documentary was shown in January 2026 at the Sundance Film Festival. The film was released nationally on Aug. 7.
Stevens’ mom, Amanda, emotionally thanked the commissioners court for the recognition. She praised the El Paso community for rallying around the children.
Stevens, 10, thanked the court for recognizing Troop 50063 and declaring Aug. 31 as “Cookie Queens Day.” She said she hopes her experience encourages other girls in El Paso to pursue their own goals.
“I hope another little girl in El Paso hears about Cookie Queens Day and thinks, ‘Maybe I can do something like that one day,'” she said.
Stevens also thanked her troop, the Girl Scouts, who supported her throughout the process, and the county commissioners.
Troop 50063 was founded in 2019 by El Paso Times reporter Maria Cortes Gonzalez.
Stevens has been the top seller in her troop for several years, consistently selling more than 1,000 packages of cookies.
Jeff Abbott covers the border for the El Paso Times and can be reached at:jdabbott@usatodayco.com; @palabrasdeabajo on Twitter or @palabrasdeabajo.bsky.social on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso declares ‘Cookie Queens Day’ after Girl Scout documentary