To some, going gold means being the winner—the fastest, the most
competitive, or the one who fought the hardest. For Girl Scouts, going gold
means earning the highest achievement in Girl Scouting, the Girl Scout Gold
Award. This award recognizes girls who demonstrate extraordinary leadership
through sustainable and measurable Take Action projects that address
important community needs.
For many, the leadership and organizational skills, as well as the sense
of community and commitment that comes from “Going Gold,” set the
foundation for a lifetime of active citizenship.
2017-18 Gold Award Projects by Category
2 Animals
14 Arts, Culture
& Heritage
4 Civic Engagement
9 Disability
1 Disaster Relief
3 Education
As part of her Gold Award Take Action project, Gabi Spina (back row, right)
hosted a workshop to help younger girls combat negative self-esteem.
Girl Scout Gold Award
for Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts
(girls in grades 9-12)
Gabi Spina’s project, titled “Taking Care of
YourSELFie,” was a free day camp held at Upper
Saint Clair Community and Recreation Center. Girls
in sixth through eighth grade were provided with the
tools, resources, and knowledge to combat negative
self-esteem. They were taught ways to take care of
their mental and physical health and the importance
of positive and safe spaces on social media.
The project was designed to prepare girls at an
important stage in life by helping them learn how
to empower themselves.
“It’s hard to be a girl,” said Spina. “You open up a
magazine, and see people who don’t look like you.
You turn on TV and you see someone who doesn’t
have your skin tone, and you think ‘Am I not good
enough? Why are these people being showcased?’”
“I think the most important thing is showing
people that they are good enough, and they can
do whatever they want as long as they have
confidence in themselves.”
5 Elderly Issues
9 Environment &
Sustainability
13 Health
10 Healthy
Relationships
1 Military/Veterans
Affairs
2
3
2
5
4
Other
Poverty
Public Safety
Sports
STEM
Total: 87 Projects
Congratulations to these 87 extraordinary leaders who earned the
Gold Award between March 1, 2017 and February 28, 2018. Girl Scouts
Western Pennsylvania is a consistent national leader in the number of
Gold Awards earned.
Maria Albert
Janae Hope Anderson
Amber Marie Angert
Maria Francesca Arlia
Jordana Avigad
Caitlyn Bankovich
Meredith Bennett
Alayna Bidlack
Alyssa Brandle
Bethany Brownlee
Sirrae E. Burke
Danielle Butler
Cheyenne Carbaugh
Julie Frances Daniels
Abby L. Denzer
Hanna Drozynski
Katrina Dudukovich
Marissa Lynn Edwards
Sierra Eger
Grace Evans
Maggie Fertal
Julia Fischer
Makenna J. Fritz
Taylor Nichole Gerlach
Allison Gould
Elizabeth Grassi
Verity Green
Isabella Haberstock
Elizabeth Hartnett
Sophie Hochfeld
Justice Hudak
Victoria Huff
Taylor Huff
Rebecca L. Hyland
Veronica Johns
Anna Joyce
Emily Kaib
Holly Kim
Rebecca Kirk
Allison Koester
Alexa Catherine Kroll
Natalie Lacek
Allison Lenhardt
Katrina Lynne Lewis
Devyn Lucy
Melina Mangino
Laura Marsiglio
Elizabeth Matthews
Mikalah Maxwell
Pamela G. McAllister
Abby McCormick
Kaitlyn Leigh Millbauer
Makayla Miller
Mikayla Mirich
Elizabeth Morrow
Mallory R. Mundkowsky
Ashley J. Nagle
Katherine Nicholl
Emily Olszewski
Grace Oram
Alyssa C. Palangio
Allison Brooke Paxton
Ali Perry
Stephanie Pirger
Allison Radocaj
Rachel Raubenstrauch
Elise N. Reichenfeld
Sylvia A. Rensel
Eliza Resetar
Sabra Richart
Samantha Nicole Rosko
Emma Ruhl
Ishika Saxena
Jessica Scarlett
Lorelei Smith
Gabriella Spina
Elise Steele
Aubree Stewart
Taylor Strang
Bearett Tarris
Clarice Taylor
Erin Taylor
Audrianna VanTassel
Morgan Nicole Waldroup
Hope Weaver
Nina Wiggins
Kacie Zakin
7