Elmont resident, Karishma Chanda, a student at Elmont Memorial High School, performed an astonishing act of kindness and goodwill toward her neighbors. She conceived, designed, developed and carried out a project that required a bare minimum of 50 hours of service to the community. For her hard work and dedication, Karishma has achieved the highest honor in Girl Scouting, the Girl Scout Gold Award.

Karishma’s creative skills and love of writing led her to choose a project dealing with literacy and writing. Realizing there was lack of enthusiasm in this area, her goal was to promote a love for writing by inviting students to write their own plays and then perform them. With the help of the after-school ESL extra-help group at the Dutch Broadway Elementary School, a play was written based on the ideas of the students. Karishma recruited her fellow students and friends to work on costumes and props and rehearsed with her cast to prepare them for opening night. Their play was presented and Karishma’s “Playwright Thing” project was a success! Karishma is a senior at Elmont Memorial High School where her activities include the Foreign Language Honor Society, National Senior Honor Society, Marching Band and Key Club. Karishma will attend Vassar College in the fall.

"Forty-one young women earned their Gold Award this year,” said Donna Ceravolo, Executive Director of the Girl Scouts of Nassau County, Inc. "We are so proud of each and everyone of them.”

“Girl Scouts who achieve the Gold Award demonstrate character and perseverance as well as impeccable time management and organizational skills. They have joined an elite group of American women who are part of the Girl Scouts of the USA's Gold Award Alliance," she said.

On June 4th, at a ceremony at SUNY College at Old Westbury, the Girl Scouts of Nassau County honored 41 Senior Girl Scouts between the ages of 16 and 18. The Girl Scout Gold Award is a culmination of all that has been learned and experienced as a Girl Scout.

It affords the teen the opportunity to learn about arts and humanities, cultural and global relations, personal well-being, technology and science, and any one of the innumerable issues facing young women right now. The Gold Award project helps Senior Girl Scouts develop leadership skills and explore career paths. Overall, the Gold Awards require a commitment of two years on the part of each young woman.

In addition to Karishma’s project, other notable projects include: self esteem seminars, volunteer work at hospitals, sports clinics, and workshops for animal awareness.

Girl Scouts is the world’s largest volunteer organization for girls and young women ages 5 through 17. The Girl Scouts provide girls with learning opportunities, which empower them to realize their full potential and have fun with their peers in a supportive environment. More than 50 million girls have grown up into confident and strong women since Girl Scouts of the USA was founded 91 years ago.