Girl Scouts Gold & Silver Awards Ceremony Sunday, June 5 at 4 PM Wertheim Performing Arts Center at Florida International University
We Are Girl Scouts
Girl Scouts bring their dreams to life as they work together to build a better world. Through programs from coast to coast, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges—whether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike or advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends. Backed by trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and millions of alums, Girl Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them
Girl Scout Mission
Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.
Girl Scout Promise
On my honor, I will try: To serve God and my country, To help people at all times, And to live by the Girl Scout Law.
Girl Scout Law
I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring,courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout.
Highest Awards Task Group
Janice Coakley Patricia Cruz Monica Guevara Johnette Hardiman Lisa Palley Angelica "Kiki" Zayas
We thank you for your time, service and dedication to building girls of courage, confidence and character!
Ceremony Program
Welcome and Opening Recognition of Silver Award Girl Scouts Mayor Daniella Levine Cava Girl Scout Alum Recognition of Gold Award Girl Scouts
Girl Scout Silver Award The Girl Scout Silver Award is the highest award a Girl Scout Cadette can earn. It represents service given to others and a commitment to leadership, citizenship and the reach for excellence … it represents growth, challenge and change.
Troop 361 Tatiana Lopez Troop 466 Aayana Baid Gabriela Page Juliette Sara Pardes Troop 552 Gabriella Prieto Bianca Anicama
Troop 220 Gabriela Haj Abigail Nunez Isabella Ramos Sofia Torres Troop 947 Luciana Lee Troop 204 Jordyn Ferenczi Karina Holcombe
Troop 26 Clara Richkin
Troop 947 Annalise Marlin Ava Lafosse-Marin Victoria Pinilla
Troop 1058 Traniya Harmon Brianna Harper Hope Lattimore
Troop 1854 Leilani Gonzalez
Girl Scout Gold Award Since 1916, Girl Scouts have been making meaningful, sustainable change in their communities and around the world. The Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor a Girl Scout can earn, acknowledges the power behind each recipient’s dedication to not only empowering and bettering herself, but also to making the world a better place for others. These young women are courageous leaders and visionary change makers.
Calista Ayala – Angels of Kindness Calista created an Angels of Kindness Team to put together care packages for doctors and nurses at a local hospital working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Intended to thank and lift the spirits of the first responders, the care packages included handwritten messages and sweet treats. She also saw a tremendous impact on her team, as members saw the impact their thoughtful gestures were making for the recipients. The Angels of Kindness Team project has been adopted by her High School’s Health Occupations Students of America club (HOSA).
Aanzia Baid - Historical Preservation of Miami Palmetto Senior High School Aanzia’s goal was to help preserve the history, culture and heritage of Miami Palmetto Senior High School. Through a collaboration with yearbook staff and with the help of several of her peers she collected data to help her create a digital memory book of the history of her High School. The digital memory book is maintained by MPSHS Student Government Council and future students will continue to add to this digital preservation.
Jelyssa Basulto – Awake and Alive Retreat Awake and Alive addresses the significance of mental health and respect life topics. To address the scarcity of education regarding mental wellness/illness within respect life topics, Jelyssa created a retreat/workshop for youth which included a variety of professional speakers, dynamic activities, meditations, reflections, and live music. In addition to her school continuing the retreat in the future, Jelyssa is working with the Archdiocese of Miami to extend the reach of her program.
Ashley Baxter – Composting Curriculum and activities Ashley designed and implemented a composting and soil science curriculum for the Pinecrest Gardens "Little Lizards" after-school science program. She worked with staff at the Garden to help teach elementary school students about composting and the importance of soil science. Garden staff will continue the project by using the activities and curriculum when the soil science month comes up in the program.
Samantha Berlan – Savings for Students Samantha created a financial literacy summit that educates graduating seniors on the importance of fiscal responsibility in the real world. She enlisted the help of professional speakers who came to local high school classrooms and spoke with students about understanding how credit works, what are credit and debit cards, how interest works, how student loan debt works, the basics of getting a car loan, and what a mortgage is. Her project has been incorporated into the curriculum of the economics classes of the public high school she attended.
Alexis Blackwell – Bee Part of the Solution Bee Part of the Solution comprises three different components to address root causes of declining bee populations. Alexis partnered with Zoo Miami for the creation of a bee-themed exhibit in their Florida: Mission Everglades area that includes six mason bee houses and an informational graphic. She also organized a petition to lobby Nikki Fried, Florida Commissioner of Agricultural for a ban on neonics (insecticide dangerous to bees). An educational campaign took the shape of an informational brochure that highlighted the importance of the declining bee population and how citizens can be part of the solution.
Savannah Cain – ACHIEVing Dance An avid dancer, Savannah wanted to share her passion with children who may not have access to dance classes. She created a series of lesson plans for virtual dance classes and worked with Achieve Miami to provide students. She also spearheaded a dance costume drive so that her students would have costumes for their final virtual performance. Students from her dance studio will continue to run monthly classes at Achieve Saturdays.
Danielle Calejo – Earth Day is Everyday Concerned about a lack of information about the harmful effects of litter, Danielle created a video to educate her community by demonstrating the proper ways to dispose of trash. The video demonstrates proper ways to dispose of trash, highlighting different forms of waste management depending on the materials. Her awareness campaign also included posters in SAS Campuses and parks and recreation centers in her community, presentations in her school, an Instagram page and a website. The Environmental Club at her school will continue her efforts to educate her community.
Talijah Clayton – Grab the Mic! Talijah describes herself as “a shy and quiet person” who has always struggled with public speaking skills. Joining Girl Scouts helped her develop her public speaking skills and her growth in public speaking was her inspiration to create an educational campaign that included a video. The campaign uses creative ways to improve confidence and public speaking skills. Her presentation has become part of the curriculum at the My Life My Power International Preparatory Academy.
Isabella Diaz-Genova – Beauty Inside Out “Beauty Inside Out” takes place at Lotus House, a temporary home for women and children in need. With the goal of helping women rediscover their inner beauty, the program creates a new sense of confidence through makeup. Isabella created a curriculum of six makeup classes, teaching participants new makeup tricks and helping to boost self-confidence. The “Beauty Inside Out” curriculum remains in the Lotus House salon so that the women at the shelter will be able to use the information when needed. The National Honor Society at Isabella’s school will continue to host drives for the makeup donated for this program.
Harper Elmslie – Pollinator Curriculum Harper created a pollinator curriculum for the Deering Estate K-12 educational program that will be used to teach middle school aged children about pollinators, climate change, invasive species, and environmental issues. The curriculum includes an educational video about pollinators and the environment to summarize the lesson. In addition, Harper organized a group of volunteers to help remove invasive plant species to make room for native plant species. Four pollinator boxes Harper installed on the property provide a habitat for native bee species.
Madison Fernandez – Re-Garden A.D. Barnes Park Nature Center was the focus of Madison’s efforts to provide opportunities for the community to immerse themselves in nature. She revamped the Nature Center indoor garden, painted a mural, built and installed benches and created an educational station for young campers and visitors. To ensure the garden is sustained in the future, Madison put together a garden maintenance plan for park volunteers.
Olivia Gonya – Experience Rural Farm Life in an Urban World Olivia wanted to provide children the chance to strengthen their understanding of and empathy for animals. She created an informational park ranger board at a local farm park that teaches children about different farm animals found there. Additionally, she organized a high school internship program which allowed high school students to volunteer at the farm and earn community service hours. To promote the program, she created an informational brochure that was distributed to local High Schools detailing responsibilities and tasks. She also coordinated an orientation. Her internship program is now listed as an internship opportunity on the Miami-Dade County Public Schools official student portal for internships. Jauntre` Gray – Students Thinking Ahead Students Thinking Ahead provides multiple opportunities for students who are in their freshman and sophomore years of high school to find scholarships, create resumes, and other college preparatory needs. A website, created by Jauntre` houses this information and is accessible to anyone interested in getting an early start on preparing for their future. The program also provides informative workshops Jauntre`’s CAP Advisor has made Students Thinking Ahead a part of the curriculum. Thea Hartley – First Aid for All First Aid for All address a major hole in our education system – a lack of education on basic emergency preparedness and first-aid. Thea crafted a curriculum to fill this educational gap. With hours of research and advice from mentors, she filmed videos, created blog posts, and built a website around the goal of educating young students on the importance of knowing first-aid, as well as how basic first-aid techniques could be applied. Because of the digital nature of First Aid For All, all of the videos and blog posts are accessible online, for any educator or parent to use.
Abigail L. Lambert – Project DIGIT Project DIGIT addresses a crucial disparity in digital literacy. Abby realized during Covid-19 how many students lacked the necessary skills and accessibility to find success through digital literacy. In collaboration with one of her teachers, she created a program to address these issues as we navigated pandemic schooling in real time. Typing, emailing, researching, and online safety are all important skills that everyone should know. Project DIGIT also includes tools and exercises that teaches students how to manage their stress and anxiety. To ensure Project DIGIT continues to address the need for Digital Literacy, Abby trained a team of peers to implement the program. She’s also developing a website that will include all of Project DIGIT’s materials so that the materials are accessible to anyone.
Caitlin LaPierre – Creature Comforts Working with her local animal shelter, Caitlin set out to ensure the animals in the shelter have a more comfortable and stimulating living space while they await adoption. She built and installed dog beds, made toys for the dogs and cats and created an informational brochure to help educate potential pet owners on the dos and don’ts of caring for their pets after adoption. She taught after care students at a local elementary school how to make the toys, which they’ll continue to provide for the shelter in the future.
Madison Monroe – Students 4 Solar Madison’s goal is to convert a large educational institution, Ransom Everglades, to a renewable energy source and inform her community about environmental issues and possible solutions. She did this by researching costs and impacts of solar installation and presenting her findings to school officials, the Ransom Board and parent’s association and the Miami Youth Climate Summit. The club she created at the school will continue to spread awareness and work with the school to install more solar arrays on campus.
Brianna Page – Fostering Futures Brianna’s nonprofit organization, Fostering Futures, aims to help under resourced teenagers in the foster care system set and achieve goals. The Fostering Futures program curriculum teaches teenagers important skills like motivation, confidence, time management, organization, resilience, and more. A virtual career day workshop, a video from best-selling author and teen life coach Cyndy Etler, who was once in the foster care system, and participation in teen life coach Dr. RJ’s “The Teen Fit In & Stand Out Challenge” round out the extensive curriculum. The Fostering Futures program has become a permanent feature at both Miami Bridge facilities, which serve as emergency youth shelters for teens, and His House Children’s Home, a group home for foster children. Natalia Reed – Bringing Oral Hygiene to Rural Communities in the Dominican Republic The goal of Natalia’s initiative is to educate families living in rural communities in the Dominican Republic to help improve oral health habits. She addressed this issue by raising awareness, collecting donations, creating an educational card, and distributing over 100 kits with oral hygiene products for the children in the Altos de Guaranal community. During her trip she gave short presentations and visited homes to speak to the families on how to properly maintain oral hygiene. The project was adopted as a yearly initiative by the Blue Missions Club at her high school. Ellie Reyna – The Heartful Project Ellie created an interactive curriculum for children ages 5-8 that included lesson plans focused on kindness, giving, and unconditional love. Using the book, The Giving Tree, Ellie’s curriculum was designed to help make compassion more widely practiced and normalized in schools in order to foster a safer learning environment and increase the number of kind allies in her community. The curriculum has been integrated into three primary schools and because the lesson plans can be modified to fit any subject that’s part of the school's curriculum, they will continue to be used by the teachers in the future.
Grace Rodriguez – G.R.A.C.E.: Green Rooms for Acting Communities of Excellence Through Grace’s efforts, The Green Room at the Actor’s Playhouse was completely transformed from a dingy semi-storage room to a renovated lounge and relaxing area. Now, actors feel welcomed into the lounge, a space where they can destress and have some time to themselves during breaks and rehearsals. Grace created a partnership between her school's theatre club and the Actors' Playhouse that will provide future sustainability of the project and allows the Actors' Playhouse to call on and receive help with the Green Room from student volunteers. Megan Sabates – Healthy Gums, Healthy Life Healthy Gums, Healthy Life, provides information on diseases that can be prevented through good oral care as well as tips on how to maintain good oral hygiene. Megan created trifold brochures with instructions on how to effectively brush and floss one’s teeth, essential oral products, and details on illnesses linked to periodontal disease. A QR code, linked to a video, shows different types of products and how they are used. These brochures were provided to local dental practices and small businesses in Megan’s community, which have continued to print and distribute to their patients. Emma Sanchez – Readers and Pollinators, Unite! Emma worked with staff at AD Barnes Park Nature Center to improve an existing pollinator garden and make it more of an educational feature for park visitors, including a homeschool group that uses the park for science classes. In addition to renovating the garden, Emma created informational signs and installed a Little Free Library at the Nature Center to encourage visitors to enjoy a good book in the garden. Park staff and volunteers will maintain the new features.
Savannah Sarafoglu – We Are Beauty Savannah is committed to challenging rigid notions of beauty so she collected and compiled photographs from girls and women of all colors, ethnicities, ages, sizes, and shapes along with written reflections on what it means to them to be beautiful into a book titled We Are Beauty. She also created a lesson plan that is delivered to 5th graders at local elementary schools and the Instagram account @wearebeauty22 continues to gather reflections on beauty. Sofia Tapanes – Story Time Smiles Story Time Smiles aims to enhance literary opportunities to pediatric patients in hospitals. Participating volunteers record themselves reading stories that are then played in patient rooms. Sofia worked with Nicklaus Children’s Hospital to set up a method of airing her recordings via the hospital’s TV channel. What began with Sofia recording and editing the videos herself quickly grew into a managed volunteer program when she contacted various high schools in her community for help. She was able to recruit more volunteers to read and record stories. She also trained some students on how the videos needed to be stitched together for hospital use. The Intro to Computers course at Sofia’s High School has made Story Time Smiles a part of its curriculum. Jessica Vandergriff – Bullpens for Harry Harris Park and Little League Resiliency Fund In 2017 Hurricane Irma destroyed many local parks in the Keys. Jessica was determined to see that Harry Harris Park would once again support sports activities for locals. For three years she planned, completed paperwork, and worked with Monroe County officials on all necessary approvals and, in 2020, bullpens for the ballfield were installed. Additionally, to help ensure every child who wants to play ball can, Jessica worked with local businesses and the Upper Keys Little League to establish a Resiliency Fund to provide financial assistance for Little League fees. The bullpens are maintained by Monroe County and the Resilience Fund is managed by the Upper Keys Little League.
Mia Wells – Turning Frustration into Education Mia launched an educational campaign to combat what she saw as a lack of readily accessible sources of information that present the resources available to abuse victims. Her goals were to educate her peers on how to support victims, provide victims with information on how to access available resources and spread awareness of the abuse that occurs in her community. Her campaign included sharing the information she compiled through different platforms including visual presentations, public signage, social media and guest speakers. Her program is now part of the Peer Counseling program at her school.
Girl Scout Scholarships
GSUSA Gold Award Scholarship Jackson Health System Gold Award Scholarship José Milton Foundation Advancing Women in STEM Gold Award Scholarship The Ortega Family Foundation Gold Award Scholarship The Sophia Lambert Do Good Scholarship
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