Nicole Burkhalter
Westminster/Broomfield
Arvada West High School
Teen Drinking and Driving Awareness
What did you do for your Gold Award project?
For my project, I put together an assembly for the junior and senior classes at my high school to educate them on the dangers of drinking and driving. I also created lesson plans as a follow-up to the assembly which allowed students to use impairment goggles as a simulation for being drunk.
Why did you pursue this Gold Award project?
I chose this project because I had attended a program at the Anschutz Center titled Preventing Alcohol Related Trauma in Youth. I learned so much about the dangers of drinking and driving and I realized that many teenagers don’t understand the consequences.
How did your Gold Award project make a difference?
My project reached more people than I thought it would. I educated the students and staff at my school on drinking and driving, but I also included texting and driving. Since my project, the number of accidents around my school related to texting and driving has decreased.
What skills did you gain through earning your Gold Award?
I gained stronger communication skills through my project. I felt more comfortable talking to complete strangers to ask for help on my project and I was able to stand in front of more than 800 people to educate them on the consequences of deciding to drink and drive.
What will you most remember about your Gold Award project?
I will remember the lives I touched most from my Gold Award project. During my assembly, there was not one dry eye in the audience. I truly feel like I made a much bigger impact in everyone’s lives than I ever thought I could.
How will earning your Gold Award help you in your future?
It will help in public speaking and organization. It took a lot of skills to organize such an event with a lot of people involved, and I think those skills will become very handy as I continue into college and my future career as a nurse.
Why do you feel the Gold Award is an important part of your Girl Scout experience?
I think it’s an important part of my Girl Scout experience because I was able to prove that I can accomplish anything I set my mind to. I’ve never took on such an important leadership role until now, and I now I know that I can make a difference if I set my mind to it. All of the little leadership roles I took on through camps and rendezvous definitely prepared me for my Gold Award and being able to advocate for myself.