Six local Gold Award Girl Scouts develop programs that are making a lasting difference in the community
Girl Scouts builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. The Girl Scout Gold Award is the pinnacle of the Girl Scout leadership experience, and it is available exclusively to Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors. Today, Girl Scouts of Orange County recognizes six Anaheim Girl Scouts who earned the Gold Award in 2019.
Through the Gold Award, girls engage in a rigorous process that calls for leadership at the highest level, as girls tackle issues they are passionate about to create long-term, sustainable change on a local, national and/or global level. To earn the Gold Award, Girl Scouts typically spend one to two years exploring the root cause of a local or global issue and partner with the community to create lasting solutions.
Girl Scouts who earn the Gold Award distinguish themselves in the college admission process and receive scholarships from colleges and universities across the country. In addition, Gold Award Girl Scouts immediately rise one rank in any branch of the U.S. military.
Over the years, nearly 3,000 Orange County Girl Scouts have earned the Gold Award. In 2019, 97 Orange County girls have joined the sisterhood of Gold Award Girl Scouts. Girl Scouts of Orange County CEO Vikki Shepp shared, “We are so proud of what these remarkable young women have accomplished. They are problem-solvers who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership to change their community and our world forever. They are poised to continue creating groundbreaking solutions long into the future.”
Anaheim’s golden Girl Scouts are as follows:
Ashley Do, 16
Project title: ASL Learning and Deaf Culture
Ashley chose to address the issue of deaf culture awareness. She held American Sign Language classes every other week at a local library and taught preteens, teens and other interested adults basic American Sign Language so if they ever met anyone who is deaf, they could introduce themselves in sign. By empowering other with the tools to communicate, Ashley helped bridge the gap between deaf and hearing.
“As a shy person, this project has changed me,” she says. “I learned that I can step out of my comfort zone; talking and interacting with people I do not know, planning events, and taking action. The Gold Award taught me what heights I could reach if I really put my mind to it.”
Colette Grob, 18
Project title: College Drinking Culture 101
After seeing news stories about college student hazing deaths, Colette created “Four Out of Five” to address the issues of binge drinking, drug abuse, fraternity hazing and sexual assault that college freshmen might experience when being away from home for the first time. She created a live walk-through event for high school juniors, seniors and their parents with a professional panel of experts to inform them or the dangers of the college drinking culture. Colette recruited a team of over 55 volunteers to write a script, plan a budget, create marketing materials, get actors, build a website, and work the event. She also created a how-to instruction manual for the Assistance League who is licensing Colette’s project so that they can distribute it nationwide.
“As I worked with my volunteers, I developed and learned to be proactive and diligent in following the progress of my project,” says Colette. “Most importantly I found that by being organized, creative and persistent, I was able to keep track of all of the moving parts of my project. Earning my Gold Award has taught me to take action and find solutions to the problems I see around me because I can change the world.”
Mandy Haynes, 17
Project title: PYLUSD Mini Mock Trial Program
Mandy wanted to help children and encouraged them to use public speaking as a way to gain self-confidence. She took the skills she learned in high school and created a simplified mock trial curriculum for elementary students in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District (PYLUSD). This reusable program will effectively help sixth graders with public speaking, quick thinking and teamwork skills, while also instilling an early sense of civic duty and awareness of the judicial process. Mandy’s Girl Scout Gold Award project is shared with PYLUSD to be used annually.
Mandy says, “Throughout the course of this project I have been able to learn about perseverance, communication and how to create an easy-to-use curriculum. I was able to take an area I enjoy and excel at in high school and use it to help the younger generation as they gain skills that will ultimately help them as they go forward in, not only their education, but their professional careers as well.”
Rosa Le, 18
Project title: Knots of Love
After witnessing her sad little cousin stuck in the hospital for months battling leukemia and chemotherapy, Rosa felt the need to bring up the self-esteem of patients fighting through illnesses. Rosa gathered volunteers and started a crocheting program at Brookdale Valley View, where the senior residents made blankets to donate to Knots of Love, who them delivered them to patients all around the world battling life-threatening illnesses. Receiving a hand-knit blanket lifted the patients’ spirits. The programs coordinator at Brookdale is continuing Rosa’s program with the use of extra yarn and crochet hooks Rosa donated.
Rosa said, “Other than learning skills like communication, leadership, patience and teamwork, I learned that there will always be obstacles along a journey, and that it’s most important to overcome those obstacles and not give up. Perseverance is key. I also realized that no matter how big or small, everyone can make a difference.”
Taryn Uyematsu, 18
Project title: Saving Our Environment, One Refill at a Time
Taryn chose her Gold Award project after watching videos on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in her Environmental Science class. Taryn then created her own video about the environmental harms of single-use plastics and shared it with student athletes in the community and at her high school. She promoted the use of refillable flasks and worked to have water filling stations installed in the gym. She also worked with recycle clubs at the other high schools in the district to implement the same strategy. As of this summer, the three water filling stations at her school reflected that 12,000+ plastic bottles had been saved.
“As I worked closely with the PTSA, school administration and recycle clubs, I learned that there are many obstacles and nothing goes as smoothly as planned,” Taryn said. “I honed my people skills and worked on organization and time management to reach each step of my project. My Gold Award showed me that I could see a complicated project through, get the community involved, and make a positive impact on our environment.”
Anh Voong, 16
Project title: Children’s Cultural Awareness
As a child, Anh experienced the unity fostered through mutual respect of cultural differences, and sought to inspire this among children in local communities. Anh created a Children’s Cultural Awareness program at Haskett Library in Anaheim. To expand outreach, she hosted a festival at Cerritos Elementary, collaborating with cultural nonprofits such as A Country Called Syria, WHS Chinese Club, VSA, and OA Key Club. Participants were introduced to various cultural aspects through traditional activities, food and performances. Due to the success of past events with over 900 attendees, her program will be sustained by Haskett Library.
“Through initiating collaboration with community leaders, I discovered that my potential as a leader wasn’t just based on what I could do individual, but what I could spark by uniting others,” said Anh. “I was able to become more assertive in empowering others through pushing my own comfort zone. Being able to accomplish my goals by overcoming several obstacles has come with the realization that I have the power to inspire a lasting change in my community.”
