Fountain Valley Girls Earn Esteemed Girl Scout Gold Award

Irvine, California (February 13, 2019) -- Girl Scouts builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. The Girl Scout Gold Award, only open to Girl Scouts in high school (grades 9-12), is the highest and most prestigious award in the world for girls and the most difficult to earn. Today, Girl Scouts of Orange County recognizes nine Fountain Valley Girl Scouts who earned the Girl Scout Gold Award.

Through the Girl Scout Gold Award, Girl Scouts engage in a rigorous process that calls for leadership at the highest level, as girls tackle issues they are passionate about. Girl Scouts typically spend one to two years on their Girl Scout Gold Award project, which involves taking action on a local or global issue (such as poverty, education, or the environment) and results in long-term, sustainable change.

Girl Scouts who earn the Girl Scout Gold Award distinguish themselves in the college admission process and receive scholarships from colleges and universities across the country, in addition to immediately rising one rank in any branch of the U.S. military.

Over the years, nearly 3,000 Orange County Girl Scouts have earned the Girl Scout Gold Award. 107 Orange County girls joined this sisterhood of Gold Award Girl Scouts during the 2018 membership year. Girl Scouts of Orange County is proud to celebrate their leadership, dedication, initiative, and community problem-solving.

Girl Scouts of Orange County CEO Vikki Shepp shared: "The Girl Scout Gold Award represents the pinnacle of achievement in Girl Scouting. We are so proud of what these young women have accomplished. They are community problem-solvers, who have created meaningful change through sustainable and measurable “Take Action” projects. These Girl Scouts have changed our world forever and for better, and they are poised to continue creating groundbreaking solutions long into the future.”

Girl Scouts has been preparing girls for a lifetime of leadership for over 100 years. According to the Girl Scout Research Institute’s (GSRI’s) report, The Power of the Girl Scout Gold Award: Excellence in Leadership and Life, 90 percent of Girl Scouts surveyed not only attributed their success in life to Girl Scouts, but they also said they wouldn’t have had access to the same experiences anywhere else. Furthermore, Gold Award Girl Scouts far surpass non-Girl Scout alum when it comes to seeing themselves as leaders, providing service to others through volunteerism, and having positive attitudes about themselves and the lives they lead.

2018 Fountain Valley Gold Award Girl Scouts

Jamie Bald – Troop 458 – Fountain Valley – 2018 Gold Award Girl Scout
Project Title: Jamie Bald's Canine Literacy Program

Jamie’s love of animals inspired her to implement a six-week Canine Literacy Program (CLP) in a 3rd and 4th grade combo class at Oka Elementary School. Participating students improved oral language skills, fluency, and comprehension, and assessments showed most students were more confident reading out loud to their peers after the CLP. Jamie then implemented a K/3rd weekly Reading Buddies program to further build confidence reading aloud.

"Throughout my Girl Scout Gold Award, I have developed leadership skills, communication skills, and have learned how to present myself to varying age groups. I saw the confidence gained from reading to dogs, and now also understand the power of a prize for third graders. The teachers I worked with showed me how to lead with a purpose and with passion.”

Helen Dang – Troop 21004 – Fountain Valley – 2018 Gold Award Girl Scout
Project Title: Library Expedition

Helen worked with a team of volunteers to create Reading Level Book Logs that categorized over 800 books by the reading level criteria of three popular reading programs. She distributed these book logs to Westminster Branch Library as a new resource that children can use to determine their appropriate reading level. Helen also hosted the Library Expedition, during which children enjoyed games promoting literacy and learned about various resources the library offers to further their academic progress. Helen’s project will be continued by the Children's Services Librarian.

“The ten months I spent carrying out my Girl Scout Gold Award to give back to the community were also the ten months I spent developing some of the most important life skills. As my volunteers and I collaborated in efforts to promote literacy, I strengthened my communication and delegation skills. After completing the Library Expedition, I came to realize that anyone can make a difference in their community if they are passionate enough.”

Vivian Dang – Troop 21004 – Fountain Valley – 2018 Gold Award Girl Scout
Project Title: Food Waste for Thought

Vivian chose to raise awareness about food waste and food waste diversion after learning that many restaurants in her community, especially Vietnamese-owned restaurants, produce a lot of food waste. She created, translated, and distributed brochures that communicate ways restaurants can reduce the amount of food waste they generate. Vivian reached out to 30 local restaurants and 3 different trash hauling companies; the trash hauling companies will continue distributing the brochures to community restaurants.

“As I worked with several different community organizations to address the issue of food waste in my community, I learned how important networking and having strong communication skills can be. Through my Girl Scout Gold Award, I have become more connected to my Vietnamese community and have discovered a new passion for inspiring others to reduce food waste in any way possible.”

Lauren Gergens – Troop 458 – Fountain Valley – 2018 Gold Award Girl Scout
Project Title: Building a Better Body by Bowling

Lauren’s project focused on the physical and mental health of teenagers. In recent years, technology has advanced at a rapid rate and dominated the attention of many young adults. The games and the screens they give their attention to are detrimental to their health - both physically and mentally. Lauren created a bowling club, which provided teens with two hours of exercise weekly in a technology-free zone.

"Leadership is a labor of love when you are in a volunteer organization or position. It can be a burden at times, but ultimately, the fruits of your labor outweigh all the hardships and make all your hard work worthwhile.”

Charlenna Huynh – Troop 3997 – Fountain Valley – 2018 Gold Award Girl Scout
Project Title: Express Yourself

Charlenna’s goal was to teach art to children in an effort to reduce technology overuse. She created lessons designed to help children experiment and express their creativity, and helped them discover their inner artists. Tech usage decreased by at least two hours per week, per student, after her program, and all the children reported they reached for their paintbrush before their electronics.

“As I worked with different students and volunteers to address the overuse of technology, I realized the importance of listening to kids and how they work. I discovered that I can encourage creativity. I learned many things about working with children, and with a team, including patience. My Girl Scout Gold Award showed me that I can make a difference in my community, by building a strong, supportive team.”

Maya Kvesic – Troop 458 – Fountain Valley – 2018 Gold Award Girl Scout
Project Title: Produce Equals Senior Health!

Maya surveyed low-income seniors in three different ethnic communities to see how many servings of fresh fruits and vegetables the seniors were consuming on a daily basis. After analyzing the data collected, Maya created monthly nutritional cards to help the seniors understand the importance of eating healthy, including simple recipes, basic shopping tips, and an activity promoting physical health. Maya's data and nutritional cards were shared state-wide through the Food Bank network and were also shared nationally through the Federal Senior Food Box Program.

"I learned that I can do and accomplish anything I put my mind to! I am really proud of how my Girl Scout Gold Award turned out and I could not have asked for better outcomes. I learned to assign tasks to other people, manage a project within a timeline, and - most importantly - I gained the confidence to ask other people for help to obtain a goal."

Katie Nguyen – Troop 1279 – Fountain Valley – 2018 Gold Award Girl Scout
Project Title: Healthy Lifestyle

Katie’s project educated children on the importance of living a healthy lifestyle through good nutrition and daily exercise. She held four individual workshops at her local Boys & Girls Clubs, and hosted various presentations and open discussions about the basics of eating right and exercising daily. Through this, Katie was able to boost awareness of the risks and problems associated with living an unhealthy lifestyle.

"Throughout this project, I was able to learn many leadership skills and gain confidence when reaching out to the community. Becoming a Gold Award Girl Scout has taught me that if I am able to present a problem with assertiveness, it shows that I am a leader which is something that will hold on to me forever."

Lucy Vu – Troop 1279 – Fountain Valley – 2018 Gold Award Girl Scout
Project Name: STEAM Family Night

Lucy organized a STEAM Family Night event that provided interactive STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) activities for the students and parents of Tamura Elementary. The purpose of this event was to develop the students' interests in STEAM and to inspire their parents to encourage them - in order to reduce the lack of STEAM graduates in the world. With 200 participants and over 80% satisfaction, the event was a success. A teacher at Tamura Elementary has promised to continue this event, and binders with information on STEAM activities and an instruction guide have been shared with the Fountain Valley School District.

“As I worked throughout this project to teach students and parents about STEAM, I learned organization and time management skills. Earning my Girl Scout Gold Award has taught me that I have the ability to make an impact on others' lives and change the world. This project inspired me to continue helping out in the community to solve current issues.”

Maddison Zone – Fountain Valley – 2018 Gold Award Girl Scout
Project Name: Girls 4 God - Living with a Purpose for God

The issue Maddison's project addressed is the lack of spirituality in young girls in the United States. Her project focused on girls discovering that God has a special purpose for their life, encouraging young girls to become involved in church and to grow spiritually. The goal was for girls to see church as a fun, safe place to be and increase attendance at church activities. Maddison and her team created curriculum, and planned crafts, games, and snacks for six club meetings. Meetings were held at the church and local girls were invited to attend.

"I enjoyed the experience of working with young girls tremendously, and found that teaching is something I find both rewarding and fun. I learned that being a leader is a lot of work but I was able to handle it and even enjoyed the experience of leading this project. Earning my Girl Scout Gold Award helped me learn the skills of taking charge of a project and vocalizing my ideas."

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We are Girl Scouts of Orange County. We are 33,000 strong—nearly 20,000 girls and 13,000 adults who believe in the power of every G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™ to change the world. With programs in every zip code in Orange County, Girl Scouts offers every girl opportunities to practice a lifetime of leadership, adventure, and success. To volunteer, reconnect, donate, or join, visit girlscoutsoc.org.