The Pinnacle Award, a Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana specific award, honors Ambassador Girl Scouts who have demonstrated leadership in Girl Scouting and their communities! We are excited to recognize and celebrate ten outstanding Girl Scouts and young alums as Pinnacle Awardees this year! Continue scrolling to learn more about each awardee and their involvement in Girl Scouts in their own words.

What is the value of Girl Scouting in your life? “Girl Scouts has been a valuable part of my life since I was a Daisy. I genuinely believe in the things that Girl Scouts value and spend every day doing my best to embody the Girl Scout Law. I have spent most of my life as a Girl Scout and hope to continue as one even once I have bridged to an adult alum. I have also made so many friends through Girl Scouting that I hope to carry with me through the rest of my life, holding on tightly to the sisterhood that Girl Scouts has aided me in creating. I will always do my best to make the world a better place and be a sister to every Girl Scout.” 
 

What is your favorite thing you have done as a Girl Scout? “My favorite thing that I have done as a Girl Scout is my Gold Award, A Lifetime of Literature. In the post-pandemic world, I noticed how centered on technology education had become and how this change was affecting students negatively, especially the younger grades. To change this, I worked with the kindergarten classes at my alma mater elementary school to help foster a love of reading like the one that I had at their age, as well as assist in dismantling the growing frustration with education that they were experiencing at such a young age. I visited each of the five kindergarten classes multiple times throughout the school year, reading a new book and completing a new craft with them each time. I also handmade 100 reading buddies to distribute to them as an incentive to continue to read. In addition, I built and installed a book box at a local church to make free books more readily available in the community.” 

What keeps you going? What drives you to make a difference in the world? “Staying involved in my community is what drives me to make a difference in the world. As a very involved member of my town, I see problems first-hand that need addressing. Together with my sister Girl Scouts, I work to solve these problems and hopefully prevent future issues from occurring. The gratification I get from knowing that I have made at least one person’s life easier is reason enough to keep me going.” 
 

Ainsley is currently finishing high school and applying to colleges, planning to major in elementary education. Ainsley plans to stay involved in Girl Scouting as an adult, working with troops and maybe leading a troop one day, too. 

What is the value of Girl Scouting in your life? “Being in Girl Scouts has really allowed me to connect with such an inclusive and supportive community. I want others to be able to share in it because if you need help, your sister Girl Scouts are always willing. I think Girl Scouts has taught me to always care for others and do my best to help those who need it.”  
 
What changes need to happen in society, and how can Girl Scouts affect these changes? “I think society needs to be more kind, understanding, and inclusive. These are key traits that Girl Scouts teaches you, and understanding and supporting others’ perspectives and lives gives you so much more insight into the world.” 
 

What do you wish others knew about Girl Scouts? “I wish others knew that Girl Scouts has so many things that older girls can do. Not only do you get access to this wonderful community full of people who want to help you, you learn how to be a leader, can connect with people from all over the world, explore different fields and career paths, and more.” 
 

What is your favorite thing you have done as a Girl Scout? “I love going to help set up tents at Girl Scout camps with my troop. It is a lot of work, but it’s very fun to help put up and take down these huge tents with a team. I’ve also loved being a national delegate because I got to meet so many people at the National Council Session.”  
 
Annabel is finishing high school and applying to college, hoping to major in chemistry. She hopes to continue in Girl Scouts, helping local troops, mentoring, and encouraging other Girl Scouts. 

What is the value of Girl Scouting in your life? “Girl Scouting brought me closer to other girls my age, gave me a love for the environment, and taught me skills I can apply in every aspect of my life. Two of my favorite things I have done as a Girl Scout are plan and take a trip to London with other Girl Scouts and participate in the counselor-in-training program at Butternut Springs.” 
 

What do you wish others knew about Girl Scouts? “I wish others knew that there’s more to Girl Scouting than just the stereotype of little girls selling you cookies. It also teaches you so much, and you will become so much closer with the people you do it with. I learned so much from it, and I hope other girls get to do the same.” 
 
What changes need to happen in society, and how can Girl Scouts affect these changes? “I believe we need to have more respect for others, ourselves, and the planet. Girl Scouts helped me expand my views on all these things, which, in turn, made me gain more respect for them.”  

What keeps you going? What drives you to make a difference in the world? “I’m driven by a desire to make the world a better place for myself and others through compassion, a wise use of resources, and respect for others.”  

 
Calla is headed off to college to study environmental engineering.  
 

What is the value of Girl Scouting in your life? “Girl Scouting has been a major part of my life. As I enter my thirteenth year as an Ambassador Girl Scout, I have been able to reflect upon all my experiences. I found my best friends in kindergarten when I joined Girl Scouts. I have learned so many new things and life lessons. Girl Scouts gives me a place to be myself. I think my experience as a Girl Scout has been priceless. I have earned my Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards. No value can be placed on my journey these past 12, going on 13 years.” 
 
What do you wish others knew about Girl Scouts? “I think Girl Scouts is all about the leadership that you have. My mom and one of my best friend’s mom are our leaders. They put in lots of time to make sure we have an amazing time at whatever we choose to do. I wish others would know or have my same experience. I hope they don’t give up in tough times and stick Girl Scouting out. I’m one of ten high school seniors in my troop. I get questioned all the time about my troop. They are mostly amazed at the large number of older girls that we have been able to retain. I think leaders need to think outside of the box. Girl Scouts can have fun in high school, too.” 
 
What keeps you going? What drives you to make a difference in the world? “I grew up volunteering and doing community service at a young age. It’s now programmed in me. I keep going by helping others, volunteering where I’m needed, and on many occasions, introducing friends to the joy of volunteering. I like to see the results of my hard work. Nothing is better than a little Girl Scout looking up to me or the joy of seeing people smile when you help them. I believe you should help when you can in the world. One day, you may need to ask those same people for help.”  

 
What changes need to happen in society, and how can Girl Scouts affect these changes? “One of the biggest things we need to do is upgrade our education system. We are so laser-focused on test results that we miss out on teaching our youth about the importance of humanity and the world around us. In my community, we can use our voices to help make these changes through voting and speaking out. Girl Scouts is a big platform that can be used to help demonstrate how being a well-rounded person in society and helping in your community can help make these changes.” 

 
Dorothy is in her senior year of high school and is applying to colleges to study sports journalism. She has a fun final year of being an Ambassador planned with her Girl Scout sisters and looks forward to getting involved as an adult Girl Scout at the nearest council to her college!

What is the value of Girl Scouting in your life? “I have been in Girl Scouts since I was a first-year Daisy, and I have made many relationships and learned many life skills from the activities I have done. Being in Girl Scouts for so long has allowed me to learn how to be a leader and given me opportunities to be in leadership positions within my troop and in bigger group settings. These opportunities also helped me become a leader at my school and in other activities outside of Girl Scouts.” 
 
What do you wish others knew about Girl Scouts? “There is something for everyone in Girl Scouts, and there are many more activities offered than what most people know of, such as camping and learning survival skills.” 
 
What is your favorite thing you have done as a Girl Scout? “One of my favorite things I have done as a Girl Scout is participate in “Work Camp Weekend” at Camp Juniper Knoll, where we set up and take down the tents for the summer campers.” 
 
What changes need to happen in society, and how can Girl Scouts affect these changes? “One big change that I think needs to happen in Chicago is for the government to work harder toward helping people who are experiencing homelessness, as well as adding accessibility to housing, as one of the biggest causes of homelessness is lack of housing. Girl Scouts can help affect these changes by helping with food pantries and volunteering at shelters to show that people care about what happens to people experiencing homelessness and to destigmatize helping people experiencing homelessness.” 

Lia is a senior in high school and is planning to go to college and major in art, education, or psychology. She plans to stay involved in Girl Scouts after graduating and continuing to help with the troop she is a part of.

What is the value of Girl Scouting in your life? “Girl Scouting has helped me to be more social and outgoing.” 

What is your favorite thing you have done as a Girl Scout? One of my favorite things I have done as a Girl Scout is going camping.” 
 
What do you wish others knew about Girl Scouts? “I wish others knew that Girl Scouts don’t just work on projects and that you are able to explore with your troop.” 
 
What keeps you going? What drives you to make a difference in the world? “I try to make unpleasant things for me, a little bit more pleasant for others.” 
 
Madi just graduated high school and is now in college. She has continued to stay involved by working at Camp Palos and volunteering with younger troops in her community.  

What is the value of Girl Scouting in your life? “I have learned so many great lessons from Girl Scouts including, confidence, business skills, and creativity.”  
 
What is your favorite thing you have done as a Girl Scout? “My favorite thing I have done as a Girl Scout is travel! I had many travel opportunities through Girl Scouts, including choosing your own adventure trips, Colorado, and London. I enjoyed planning and participating in these trips.” 

 What do you wish others knew about Girl Scouts? “A lot of girls quit Girl Scouts early on, but I think the experiences that Girl Scouts offers get better and better as you get older.” 
 
What keeps you going? What drives you to make a difference in the world? “I have a sense of purpose in helping people and being able to see an impact.” 
 
Megan has started college and is still exploring what she wants to study, but she plans to major in psychology and environmental studies.

Congratulations to our 2023 Pinnacle Awardees! 

The application for the 2024 Class of Pinnacle Awardees will open by January 2024. More information will be available on our website here.