What did you do for your Gold Award project?
For my project, I focused on helping new transfer students at my high school adjust to their new environment. I created a program through which I provided a place where transfer students could feel comfortable, as well as get all of the information that they would need for their duration at the high school.
Why did you pursue this Gold Award project?
Having been a transfer student myself, I noticed that there was a lack of transitional help for new students. I wanted to change that, so I decided to create a club to aide students, such as myself during this rocky time for them.
How did your Gold Award project make a difference?
My project made a difference by empowering the transfer students and giving them the opportunity to grow and discover their niche within their new environment. After being a part of the program I created, they were able to more easily adapt to their new environment and allow them a smoother and less stressful transfer process. Not only did it make a difference for the transfer students, it was also able to help the host students that helped out. Although they were not new, they gained the knowledge about how people adapt to new environments and what to do when welcoming someone who is new. This experience was able to benefit these students just as much as the transfer students.
What skills did you gain through earning your Gold Award?
As I worked through my project, I felt that my personal growth as a leader helped to develop a stronger sense of self. By creating and working on a project that I had such a personal connection with the issue that I was addressing, I was able to discover the kind of person I am. This discovery was very helpful to the growth of my project as well because it gave me more confidence to reach out farther. This project also helped me to gain stronger critical thinking and problem solving skills as I ran into a variety of obstacles that took a bit stronger problem skills than I had already had.
How did you make your project sustainable?
As I have left for college, I needed to pass on my program. So, I have gone through the Link Crew program at my high school to find someone to carry on my visions. A rising junior, Paula, has agreed to take charge of my program starting next year. Since she too was a transfer student, she too knows what it is like to transfer part way through high school better than someone who has never moved schools. I will continue to check in on her even though I am not at the school, just to make sure she feels confident and comfortable with certain processes and procedure needed to effectively keep the program running.
What was your connection to the national or global community?
I found that the national and even global link to my issue is that transfer students are at most schools all over the world. There are always going to be students moving to different schools, whether it is in the same county, same state, different state, or even another country. The issue of being new to a strange place and the concept of transitioning can also go beyond moving to a new school. By discovering more effective ways to make this process smoother, we can reduce the stressful nature of the situation.
What will you most remember about your Gold Award project?
Something that I will remember the most about my project is the difference I was able to make for students. Throughout my time working with this issue, I have had quite a few people come to me and just thank me for all of my help during their transition period. Knowing that something that I said or something that I did was able to help someone and actually stick with them is one of the best feelings I have ever felt.
How will earning your Gold Award help you in your future?
Earning my Gold Award will help me in the future because it has helped me to learn and develop critical skills for leadership. This will benefit me because it has given me the opportunity and the advantage of leading such a big project. It will also help me because it has taught me the most effective ways to network and work with a variety of groups of people as well as has taught me how to delegate in order to most effectively and efficiently accomplish great work.
Why do you feel the Gold Award is an important part of your Girl Scout experience?
I feel that the Gold Award is an important part of my Girl Scout experience because it is a culmination of all of the skills that I learned and honed in my early years of Girl Scouts. For me, the Girl Scout Gold Award was the most important service project of my Girl Scout career and I am so proud to have had the opportunity to complete and accomplish such a high achievement.
***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