Sherborn and Millis Girls Receive Gold Award at State House

BOSTON- Five young women from the towns of Sherborn and Millis were presented with the Gold Award from the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts at the Massachusetts State House on Friday, June 14th. The Gold Award is the most prestigious award bestowed by the Girls Scouts and is given to scouts who demonstrate remarkable creativity and leadership skills through projects aimed at creating sustainable change to address the root cause of an issue in their community.

“I am always incredibly impressed by the projects of these young women and the meaningful ways in which they aim at addressing issues in our community,” said Representative David Linsky (D-Natick). “I look forward to reading about their accomplishments in the future as I am certain that these leaders will continue to have a great impact in our community and beyond.”

Madison Schofield from Millis developed a project entitled “Confidence Building Buddy Group”, which was the development and implementation of a mentor program between high school and elementary school students to help boost confidence and social skills for students dealing with anxiety, confidence and social issues. Meredith M. Borden from Sherborn conducted an analysis of gender inequality in sports and developed clinics aimed at closing those gaps through her project, “Girls in Sports”. Angelina Zhang of Sherborn noticed a lack of women in STEM-related clubs and competitions in her community and therefore aimed her project, “Girls in Mathematics”, at providing girls with opportunities to explore STEM fields in an encouraging environment. Inspired by her family members’ experiences with Alzheimer’s and dementia, Aaditi Narayanan of Sherborn focused on “Memory Engagement for Elderly” by conducting research and developing a program that included engaging and brain-stimulating activities for seniors. Elizabeth Goldstein of Sherborn noticed that while her community had opportunities for high school tutoring, there were few opportunities for elementary school students and therefore she created a free tutoring program for student in grades 1-5 titled “Doing Math Together”.

In addition to their projects, the young women who earn the Gold Award must complete more than 80 hours of community service. Of all of the scouts who are eligible nationally, only 6% earn the Gold Award.