What did you do for your Gold Award project?
My Gold Award project was creating a guidebook for incoming International Baccalaureate students to help them weigh their options for their academics at Niwot High School. The International Baccalaureate (IB) Program is a rigorous academic pathway that offers a lot of challenge to students, but sometimes the challenge is underestimated. I designed a questionnaire about the IB program for current students to complete, then used their responses to make a guidebook full of advice and reflections from these students. This information, I think, will be extremely helpful to incoming IB students. I know I would have liked to have it when I was an incoming student. My project can be viewed on my website here: https://sites.google.com/site/ibstudentguidebook
How did you measure the impact your Gold Award project made on your target audience?
Given that my target audience is incoming IB students, I unfortunately won’t be able to see a measurable impact for about two years when they finish their IB courses. However, I did send out my guidebook to incoming IB students this year unofficially, and some responded saying the information was helpful and helped their decision in doing International Baccalaureate or Advanced Placement programs.
How is your project sustainable? How will your project continue to impact after your involvement?
My project is sustainable because it can be repeated by IB students in the future. Because the student input collected in the book is valuable to teachers, administrators, and especially incoming IB students, the repetition of the survey will help provide an accurate snapshot of the IB program at Niwot High School at the time. It can be repeated for as long as IB is offered at Niwot.
What is your project’s global and/or national connection?
The information was used in the IB audit. Every five years, an auditor comes to Niwot High School to evaluate the IB program at the school. The information I collected was made available to this auditor, who may use the information at the summit for the IB program in Switzerland.
What did you learn about yourself?
I learned I really am capable of more than I thought. In finishing this project, I proved to myself I can study for school, go to sports practice, have a job, and be able to complete valuable and fulfilling projects like this. It was not required that I get my Gold Award, and there was no consequence in not getting in other than letting myself down. I didn’t let myself down and I followed through.
How will earning your Gold Award impact you in the future?
I will remember the communication, organization, and patience skills I developed in my project for several years. In college and in my workplace in the future, I will be able to communicate my ideas clearly, work with others collaboratively, and be more patient with myself and others. Earning my Gold Award definitely helped me mature for the future.
Why do you feel the Gold Award was an important part of your Girl Scout experience?
It was very important to me that I finish the final rank of Girl Scouts since I have devoted so much of my life to it. I began as a Daisy when I started first grade, and now I finished my Gold Award as I graduate high school. Girl Scouts has been a constant thing In my life, and I felt I would be doing myself a disservice if I didn’t take advantage of the opportunity to complete Girl Scouts to the highest level.
How did earning your Gold Award help you become a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)?
I definitely did a lot of go-getting for this project, which strengthened these skills a lot. I realized I am very capable of getting things done if I really want them to get done. Earning my Gold Award helped me become a confident young woman who can accomplish anything I want to accomplish.
**IMPORTANT NOTE: This blog represents only a small fraction of the hard work, dedication and requirements that go into earning a Girl Scout Gold Award. It is simply a brief summary, which is meant to inspire Girl Scouts to Go Gold in the future. For more information on earning your Gold Award, please email highestawards@gscolorado.org