Over the past few months on the GCNWI blog, we have highlighted Girl Scouts from Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana who have achieved an incredible accomplishment: earning the Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can earn.

With over 6,400 service hours all together, these girls have shown what it takes to be a trailblazer, a change-maker, and a Golden Girl Scout. We have come to the end of our blog series, but these girls continue to stand as examples of young women with passion and commitment to making the world a better place.

Continue along to meet the last group of 2019 Gold Award Girl Scouts, view photos from this year’s Gold Award Ceremony in our photo album on Facebook, and learn more about the Gold Award in the informational program booklet on our website.

Part 8: Meet 10 Gold Award Girl Scouts

Natalie S.

For her Gold Award, Natalie helped the Riverside Arts Center organize their art supplies and work. She cleaned three of their large supply closets, and organized their materials for easy access. She also built three moveable cabinets that she donated to provide additional storage space.

Hannah S.

To help students decide what to choose as their major in college, Hannah gathered professionals from Argonne National Laboratory, Midwestern University, Joliet Junior College, CITGO, Northern Illinois University, and more, to educate middle school and high school students on the diverse career opportunities in STEM.

Angela S.

For her Gold Award, Save Our Teeth, Angela made dental health education videos for her local middle school and high school and the Allendale Assocation in order to further encourage hygiene and prevent illness. By working with teachers and health professionals, she instilled proper knowledge and skills into children that will eventually save money, health, and improve self-image.

Kyra S.

Kyra, for her Gold Award project, chose to run a workshop for children grades 1-5. During the workshop, she informed them about the importance of a healthy lifestyle, and invited in a nutritionist to speak about how to start these practices at an early age. They then did a 20-minute Zumba session, and ate a healthy lunch!

Natalie U.

Natalie noticed that due to the construction of a new playground, the Spring Valley Nature Center had a plethora of new visitors, but they weren’t exploring the entirety of the center. To encourage them to do so, she made an activity book that guided them around the three ecosystems in Spring Valley. Her goal was to educate kids, and make sure they had fun doing it.

Mary Therese V.

On the campus of Mary’s parish, there are two mobile homes once used as classrooms. The two staircases leading to these mobile homes were in disrepair, and posed different safety issues to the groups that use the space. For her Gold Award, she calculated measurements, raised money, and acquired the supplies to refurbish the staircases.

Simone W.

Simone created The Camping Library for her Gold Award, a place where community members can check out and return camping equipment for free. By eliminating the large upfront costs of tents and camping equipment, she hopes to encourage others to go out and try camping. She also created a website and instructional handbook!

Brighid Kathryn W.

For her Gold Award, Brighid aimed to aid kids in her community that may not receive the same help with reading that she did in her childhood. She orchestrated a fundraising event for a local bookstore to purchase book for Washington Elementary’s library, and made sight word games for parent volunteers to use around the school. She also made reading games for the reading specialist!

Joan W.

Joan worked with girls in grades 3-8 to help instill confidence and a lifetime appreciation of health and fitness. To do this, she held a 9-week long running program. She taught the girls how to set, plan, and reach their goals, and offered inspiration and encouragement.

The Golden Word

Now more than ever, it is essential for young women to stand up for their beliefs and make changes in their communities. There are many ways to do this–– and Girls Scouts are choosing to contribute to society through their highest award projects.

Whether its planting sustainable native species in a garden for the Bronze Award, supporting families in financial crisis for the Silver, or inspiring youth to become politically active for the Gold, Girl Scouts time and time again prove they have what it takes to change the world.

Learn more about earning the Girl Scouts’ Highest Awards.

Don’t miss out on meeting the previously featured Gold Award Girls Scouts!
Part One: Meet the first 10 girls (last names A-B) »
Part Two: Meet the second 10 girls (last names B-D) »
Part Three: Meet the third 10 girls (last names F-H) »
Part Four: Meet the fourth 10 girls (last names H-K) »
Part Five: Meet the fifth 10 girls (last names K-L) »
Part Six: Meet the sixth 10 girls (last names M-P) »
Part Seven: Meet the seventh 10 girls (last names P-S) »