Between the clang of metal in the robotics lab and the peaceful energy of a Girl Scouts meeting, Molly Keys (10) has learned that leadership can take many forms. Whether she’s programming a robot or organizing a project to give back to her community, Keys blends the STEM and service worlds together to demonstrate what it means to be a leader and a difference-maker.

Keys’ love for robotics began at a very young age, starting with the simple building blocks of LEGO sets and eventually becoming a more serious passion. When  her older brother influenced her to join the FIRST Robotics club during her freshman year, she felt compelled to join. 

“I was introduced to the whole idea of engineering and building things with my hands from my father, who’s an engineer, and then my brother has also always loved that,” Keys said. “I [started to] go to competitions like LEGO League in elementary and middle school.” 

The high school robotics program is primarily student-led, requiring not only technical skill but also teamwork and negotiation. Over winter break, Keys and her brother built a field out of plywood, replicating the competition arena to allow them to practice with their robot at their house. Although Keys hasn’t been involved in robotics for very long, her mother, Jenny Kissel, noticed that this environment quickly taught her complex skills. 

“They have to build this whole robot from scratch, and the robot has to be able to meet these challenges in order to score points in the competition,” Kissel said. “Like any organization, especially an organization that is led by students who are young and still trying to figure out leadership, there’s definitely bumps in the road. Everyone doesn’t always agree on how things should be done, and it requires a lot of trial and error [and] negotiating.”

Despite being in a male-dominated field, Keys remains confident. She refuses to let any lingering stereotypes affect her, choosing instead to focus on her own growth. Keys seeks to bridge the gap between the gender divide. 

“There’s a lot of boys in robotics,” Keys said. “But in the past years, there’s definitely been more women, and it’s very inspirational. Last year was my first year, and that was hard for me, coming into competitions where you feel underestimated. I think there’s stereotypes like, ‘Oh, you don’t actually know what you’re doing,’ or ‘Oh, you’re not as smart, you don’t belong here.’”

Keys views her position in the club as an opportunity to be a role model for others. Having found confidence through robotics, she wants to extend her positive experiences with the club to other members. She is determined to help other girls overcome any initial hesitation and help them feel comfortable enough to join.

“Being one of the only girls on the robotics team, I’m very grateful that I have the opportunity to go out and recruit more girls at Ladue,” Keys said. “I really want to have more girls feel comfortable enough to join the team, to participate in STEM activities like robotics, because it’s a really fun thing, and I think more girls should find this community that I have loved and that makes me feel confident.”

Keys began Girl Scouts in kindergarten, after her mom started the troop at Old Bonhomme Elementary School. Kissel, who was a Girl Scout herself, wanted to give her daughter a similarly meaningful experience. 

“I have a lot of happy memories associated with Girl Scouts, and it’s a really great way for girls to meet other girls when they’re young,” Kissel said. “By starting a Girl Scout troop that was open to all of the kindergartners, it was a nice way for the girls to get to know each other.”

Having already earned the Silver and Bronze Awards, Keys is now working towards earning her Gold Award, the most prestigious award for Girl Scouts. For her Bronze Award, she worked with her troop to organize a park cleanup and beautification project. For her Silver Award, Keys and another girl from her troop created a video on mental health for middle schoolers. Now, for her Gold Award, she is focusing on sustainability and artistic expression by giving back to The Green Center, the summer camp she attended every summer as a child.

“I really wanted to give back, because [The Green Center] watched me grow up and it’s a big part of my community,” Keys said. “I’m working on creating pamphlets with Missouri natives, [including] flowers and animals, for the kids to take with them when they go on nature walks. I’m a really artistic person, so [I want to] incorporate some sort of design or art into a project while giving back to the community.”

While Keys is able to express herself and her artistic interests through this project, her motivation is rooted in the desire to use her own personal experiences to benefit others, especially those less fortunate. She wants to give back to the community that has been so meaningful to her and ensure the same experience for other children.

“It goes back to putting what I have grown up with and my experience, to bring that back into the community, to better it,” Keys said. “I’ve had a very privileged life and have all these things available to me, but a lot of people really don’t. [I wanted to] create something to put in the Green Center, because it’s a free space so anyone can use it.”

Keys met Elle Saleeby (10) in middle school, and they quickly became friends after having multiple school-related activities and classes in common. Despite being a part of different troops, Keys and Saleeby have volunteered at the same Girl Scout camp for the past several years and have both grown through the organization.

“[Keys] is a hard worker. [She’s] very smart, goal oriented [and] she’s a great person,” Saleeby said. “[Girl Scouts] really is a way to make a change and educate yourself, because [it provides] a lot of different online and in-person experiences [you can attend] which may be focused around science or STEM categories, or anything that’s your passion, because that’s something that Girl Scouts really tries to promote to young girls.”

Keys’ identity is rooted in the values instilled by her family. Her father’s constant encouragement to try new things has helped shape her confidence and drive.  

“My dad is a very hands-on person,” Keys said. “He’s very interactive, and he’s taught me that you just try things and [that] messing up is okay. He would come almost every day after school to help the robotics team, [and] he always helps me if I’m stuck on my homework or schoolwork.”

While her father has taught her to take initiative and embrace her mistakes in order to grow, Keys also looks to her mother as an example of resilience and leadership. This was especially evident when she watched her mother fight a life-changing illness.

“I love my mom so much,” Keys said. “A couple years ago, in eighth grade, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Seeing her persevere and survive that and [become] a leader and a role model in the ovarian cancer community for other people who are going through that has really taught me how I could be a leader in my community, within Girl Scouts or robotics.”

Outside of these two passions, Keys stays busy playing varsity and club volleyball and is involved with her community in other ways. She participates in Pedal the Cause, a fundraising event that is especially close to her heart due to her family’s connection to cancer. The money raised from Pedal the Cause benefits the Siteman Cancer Center. Keys’ grandfather was also affected by cancer, and he had his treatment at Siteman.

“I’m a two-year survivor,” Kissel said. “Initially, two years ago, before my cancer diagnosis, I decided to participate in Pedal the Cause because of my dad’s connection to Siteman, and my son participated with me. Three weeks after that race, I was diagnosed with cancer. When it rolled around for registration for this fall, I asked my family and everyone wanted to participate.”

As Keys looks to the future, she hopes to channel these values and blend her two worlds together. From her leadership to problem-solving skills, she’s ready to pursue a path that enables her to do both things she loves.

“Robotics has really led me into a path of engineering or architecture,” Keys said. “I’m a very artistic person, so I want to somehow combine those. Growing up around those things has really influenced me to try and become an engineer or designer of some type.” 

Despite Keys’ long laundry list of achievements, the most valuable lesson she has learned is that true success is defined by the impact she leaves on those around her.

“Although we encourage our children to work hard, and that’s important, we also encourage them to be kind,” Kissel said. “When my kids are kind to other people, that’s what most impresses me. Not the achievements on paper.”