Girl Scouts Mary Fernandez and Sofia Haskelson earned a national
scholarship for contributing to a lasting change regarding consent
and sight.
[LONG ISLAND, NY]—The Girl Scouts of Nassau and Suffolk
Counties are proud to announce the 2021 GSUSA Gold Award Scholarship
has been awarded to two local Girl Scout Gold Award recipients: Mary
Fernandez, of Nassau County, and Sofia Haskelson, of Suffolk County.
Gold Award Girl Scout Mary Fernandez, from Herricks
Hamlet, was awarded a national scholarship from Girl Scouts USA.
Through her project, “Not ‘Me Too,’” she educated children and teens
in her community about consent, what it is and why it is important.
For children, she wrote a children’s book titled No Means No, Yes
Means Yes! that her elementary school integrated into their Family
Life curriculum. For teens, she used a more mature approach and
created a comprehensive presentation explaining consent that her high
school added to its health curriculum. Additionally, Mary hosted a
self-defense class for her community to empower and prepare
individuals to defend themselves and respect their bodies so they can
feel safer.
Gold Award Girl Scout Sofia Haskelson, from
Huntington, previously received the Bronze and Silver awards. This
year was no exception for her hard work as she earned her Gold Award
and a national scholarship from Girl Scouts USA. Her project, “Living
Through the Eyes,'' focused on raising awareness about eye conditions
that affect various individuals in the area. However, not every person
can treat their condition, so Sofia implemented an eyeglasses donation
program to assist people suffering from eye conditions but cannot
afford glasses. For the project to have a holistic approach, she also
created and donated over 400 fabric eyeglasses cases.
“It
is impressive how these girls can be so observant of their communities
and create such a huge impact. Girl Scouts teach girls they have a
responsibility to contribute to their community and that, regardless
of their age, they can influence people around them,” said Randell
Bynum, CEO of Girl Scouts of Nassau County. “They are challenged to
become their best selves and create long-lasting changes in the
communities, whether it's their high school, their neighborhoods, or
their future jobs. I’m incredibly proud to see them recognized for
their hard work by this national scholarship.”
As they
take action to transform their world, the Gold Award Program has a
positive and lasting effect on girls who participate. Gold Award Girl
Scouts gain a range of skills—such as leadership, teamwork and problem
solving—that they will find useful not only for the activities and
experiences they have access to in Girl Scouts but throughout their
lives. The 2021 report by the Girl Scout Research Institute shows that
close to 90% of women who earned a Gold Award confirmed their projects
contributed to their career successes and that earning their Gold
Award equipped them to solve problems in their communities. Also,
their projects helped them develop interests in different fields,
including the environment, business and/or STEM. Additionally, Girl
Scout Gold Award alumnae show higher levels of courage, confidence and
positive values. In fact, over 80% continue to be volunteers with an
organization.
“Throughout the years, our organization
gives girls a toolkit of skills that prepare them for the next
milestone. They show confidence by choosing the topics they are
interested in and they show persistence by tackling the topics from
different angles, many times targeting different age groups to get
results. From medical conditions to social changes, we see how girls
can be creative and innovative to find solutions to the issue in
question,” said Tammy S. Severino, Interim President and CEO of Girl
Scouts of Suffolk County.
To volunteer, reconnect,
support or join local Girl Scouts, visit https://www.gsnc.org/ or
https://www.gssc.us/.
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We Are Girl Scouts: Girl
Scouts bring their dreams to life and work together to build a better
world. Through programs in Nassau County, across Long Island and from
coast to coast, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be
unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise
to meet new challenges—whether they want to climb to the top of a tree
or to the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike or
advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends. Backed
by trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and millions of alums, Girl
Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that
affect the issues most important to them. To join us, volunteer,
reconnect, or donate, visit https://www.gsnc.org/ or
https://www.gssc.us/.
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Girl Scouts in Nassau and Suffolk Counties Earn Gold Award Scholarships for Tackling Important Issues in their Communities
04 Oct 2021
