Earning the Gold Award, the highest award available for Girl Scouts, provides an opportunity to make the world a better place. It also opens the door to college scholarships, and this year, four girls in Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania won Gold Award scholarships.
Scholarships are awarded through both our council and Girl Scouts of the USA.
Mary O’Gorman of Dauphin County won a $5,000 GSUSA scholarship for her project, “The Next Chapter Book Club,” which included organizing an on-going book drive for students.
“The committee loved how she tackled both poverty and literacy with her project to create opportunities for all students in a creative way that still honored the original concept of a book fair,” said Brynne Hall, who led the committee of volunteers as a Girl Scouts in the Heart of PA non-voting member. “They were especially impressed with her well-planned sustainability.” Mary plans to attend Villanova University in the fall, majoring in psychology.
Angie Espinoza of Monroe County earned a $5,000 Girl Scouts in the Heart of PA scholarship for her project, “Mindful Period,” which focused on period poverty both in Pennsylvania and in the Dominican Republic.
“(Angie’s project) really resonated with our committee as a truly global impact,” Hall shared. “They loved how she created her own book to speak to girls on their level and to destigmatize menstruation.” Angie will attend the University of Pittsburgh this fall, majoring in psychology with a minor in business.
Melaina Barbe of Schuylkill County won a $3,000 scholarship from our council for her project, “Library Program—Adventure Academy Early Learning Center and Blue Mountain Elementary West.”
The scholarship committee members were impressed with Melaina’s efforts to make literacy more accessible to everyone in her community by building permanent little libraries at two local schools, Hall said. “They felt she took a lot of time in constructing the spaces needed to make this happen and were impressed with the collaboration she had with the schools to make sure that the impact and sustainability would be felt for years,” she said. Melaina will attend Clemson University Honors College starting this fall, majoring in genetics.
Meilynn Poletti of York County earned a $1,000 Girl Scouts in the Heart of PA scholarship for her project, “Passion for M.U.S.I.C.” The committee appreciated Meilynn’s focus on multiple issues in her project, including music education, helping at-risk students, and the mental health benefits of music. “Her passion for music was evident in every part of her project, and the fact that she took so much time and care to make sure that multiple groups in the community are being addressed with her project meant a lot to the committee,” Hall said. Meilynn plans to attend Messiah University this fall, majoring in biochemistry with a minor in mathematics.
Providing scholarships allows Girl Scouts to honor girls who take the extra steps to earn their Gold Award and also helps to raise awareness of the long-term impact Girl Scouts have on their community.
“The Gold Award opens up so many doors for our Girl Scouts, and the fact that we are able to offer one national scholarship opportunity and three council scholarships each year is one of the best ways for us to celebrate the effort of our girls to make their communities a better place,” Hall said. “Applying for scholarships also gives great experience with sharing your accomplishments and highlighting your strengths to others, which is crucial in the workforce to stand out in job searches and work your way up in your career.”
For more information on the Gold Award and scholarships, visit Girl Scouts of the USA or Girl Scouts in the Heart of PA.
Written by Cathy Molitoris, Marketing Coordinator for Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania.