The Gold Award, the highest honor in Girl Scouting, has been awarded to 35 local girls this year, including 8 girls from Scottsdale, from the Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council.
The prestigious Gold Award is presented to girls in grades nine to 12 who have utilized the skills acquired in Girl Scouts to showcase sustainable and measurable impact through problem-solving of relevant issues on a local or national level by completing a Gold Award-worthy project, according to a press release.
Scottsdale Girls winning the award are Zoe Golston, Cassandra Gookin, McKinley Paltzik, Jenny Pasternack Jayla Richardson, Spencer Wareing, Tiffany Wong, Lilly Zahnow.
“Making an impact on our world is what being a Girl Scout is all about. Each Gold Award project is a journey that tells a story of a girl and the cause that is important to her,” Mary Mitchell, co-CEO of Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council said in the release. “Gold Award Girl Scouts set the gold standard in our community, and GSACPC is proud to honor an astounding 35 awardees this year who are making lasting change.”
The 2024 Gold Award class represents a variety of service projects that target an array of relevant issues. Projects included establishing programs to improve mental and physical health, sustainability, and animal welfare, as well as addressing gender bias, lack of medical access, gaps in educational curriculum and more.
“Gold Awardees have long laid the groundwork for impactful projects through their involvement in Girl Scouts and this is just the beginning for this group of young innovators,” Christina Spicer, co-CEO of Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council, said in the release. “Recipients are not only carrying this honor and meaningful change with them for life, but also setting themselves apart in scholarship applications, college admission essays, and job interviews.”
Read More: Eight Scottsdale Girl Scouts earn Gold Award