Local Manhasset Teens Earn Prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award

Girl Scouts of Nassau County recently celebrated Manhasset and Plandome residents Alexandra A., Charlotte B., Katherine C., Mira K., Olivia L., Casey L., Julia M., Sofia O., Katherine R., Delaney S., Jessica S., Emily V., Belen V., and Ava W., who were among the 67 young women from across Nassau County to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award this year. The Gold Award is the highest achievement in Girl Scouts and recognizes young women who identify a real problem in their community, build a team, and create a lasting, sustainable solution. They were honored at the 2026 Gold Award Ceremony at The Inn at New Hyde Park.

"The 2026 Gold Award Girl Scouts are an extraordinary group of young women, and what they have accomplished goes far beyond the projects they completed," said Rande Bynum, CEO of Girl Scouts of Nassau County. "Through this experience, every one of them built real, transferable skills in leadership, problem-solving, public speaking, and project management that will give them an edge in college, in their careers, and in every community they are a part of for the rest of their lives. We are so proud of each of them, and of the lasting impact they have already made right here in Nassau County."

Girls in grades 9-12 begin their Gold Award journeys by identifying a civic or social issue that holds personal significance to them. From there, each girl builds a team, develops a plan, and leads that team to implement a sustainable solution designed to continue creating impact long after her direct involvement ends. Through programs established at local schools, books donated to library collections, community installations, and digital resources with global reach, these young women leave behind something lasting. Along the way, Gold Award recipients develop into innovative problem-solvers, empathetic leaders, confident public speakers, and focused project managers, building resourcefulness, tenacity, and decision-making skills that give them a meaningful edge personally and professionally.

Alexandra's Gold Award, Horsing Around, focused on improving the rehabilitation infrastructure at the Warrior Ranch Foundation to better support its specialized equine therapy programs. She designed and collaborated with a steel manufacturing company to build custom desensitization equipment that safely prompts horses to push a barrel with their nose, securely acclimating them to new tactile sensations and unexpected sounds. This process calms the animals’ demeanors so they can safely bond with veterans and first responders suffering from PTSD.

Charlotte's Gold Award, Art Wellness Workshop, used creativity as a tool to support children's mental health and emotional expression. Through eight themed art wellness sessions at the Ronald McDonald House, she introduced children to projects focused on kindness, mindfulness, gratitude, and storytelling, and launched an Instagram page featuring craft tutorials and wellness activities families could recreate at home.

Katherine's Gold Award, Women in Business, addressed the challenge high school girls face when choosing college majors and career paths due to a lack of professional exposure. She designed and launched an interactive website, career-network.org, connecting students with local professional women, and developed comprehensive career and educational summaries to facilitate mentorship and internship opportunities..

Mira's Gold Award, Cycle of Care, focused on period poverty by increasing access to essential menstrual products and dismantling the surrounding social stigma. She partnered with the Shelter Rock Food Pantry to supply free personal care items, organized community donation drives, and collaborated with three local Councilmembers to scale the initiative across five separate pantry locations.

Olivia's Gold Award, The Ultimate Cookbook: An Elders Guide to Cooking and Other Life Lessons, highlighted the importance of preserving personal history and intergenerational wisdom before those memories are lost. By interviewing residents at an assisted living facility, she documented cherished family recipes alongside meaningful life advice to compile a comprehensive, commemorative cookbook now shared with families and future generations in both physical and digital form.

Casey's Gold Award, Internet Safety Through Athletics, focused on helping middle school student athletes safely navigate social media and online sports communities. She created presentations, videos, and a website to educate young athletes, parents, and coaches about internet safety and healthy social media habits, presenting to athletic teams and organizations throughout Nassau County.

Julia's Gold Award, Kids and the Environment: Learning to Make a Difference, addressed the lack of engaging environmental education for young children. She partnered with her local YMCA to design and lead an interactive, art-based curriculum teaching over 40 children ages 5 to 9 about biodiversity, climate change, pollution, and renewable energy.

Sofia's Gold Award, Food For Thought, explored how family meals and cooking together can help combat rising loneliness among children and teens. She wrote and self-published a children's book, created cooking videos and a resource website, and hosted workshops at schools and libraries across Long Island and Queens, reaching more than 220 participants and distributing over 100 copies of her book now in permanent circulation at local school libraries.

Katherine's Gold Award, The Book Club for Kids, addressed the decline of voluntary reading habits among young children. She developed an interactive reading program for kindergarten through second-grade students in the MAX after-school program. She collaborated with a reading specialist to select age-appropriate books and drafted comprehensive lesson plans that incorporated hands-on crafts, sequencing games, and discussions that successfully shifted student attitudes toward enthusiastic, voluntary reading, leaving step-by-step guides for staff to continue the club annually.

Delaney's Gold Award, Healthy Eating and Living, addressed nutrition education and healthy lifestyle habits for children and families in underserved communities. Partnering with Adventures in Learning and a local food pantry, she created interactive lessons, games, and activities that taught children about balanced meals, and developed a healthy lifestyle cookbook featuring affordable recipes alongside student-created artwork.

Jessica's Gold Award, Judaic Knowledge Through Dance Program, addressed the lack of cultural resources for younger children by making foundational Jewish education engaging and accessible. She designed an interactive curriculum using dance and physical movement to teach the Hebrew alphabet and created a dedicated website and instructional video so families globally can practice the lessons independently.

Emily's Gold Award, Mental Health Awareness in Our Community, aimed to dismantle the stigma surrounding mental health and educate her community on its direct link to physical well-being. She established an official student-athlete organization at her high school called "More than a Scoreboard," hosted awareness sessions at varsity games reaching over 100 student-athletes, and wrote and illustrated a children's book, The Day I Stayed in Bed, to teach early emotional awareness.

Belen's Gold Award, Project Unidos, introduced elementary-aged children to Hispanic culture and the Spanish language through a six-week educational program called Little Lingos, hosted at the Manhasset Public Library. She designed her own curriculum, lesson plans, and activities after finding few age-appropriate multicultural resources available, and built a public website with downloadable toolkits so educators and libraries nationwide can replicate the program.

Ava's Gold Award, The Importance of Mental Health, focused on helping elementary school students better understand emotions, stress management, and healthy coping strategies. She created and taught an eight-week curriculum through the Adventures in Learning after-school program, incorporating mindfulness journals, sensory bottles, breathing techniques, and friendship-building activities, distributing her lesson plans to after-school programs across Long Island.

According to recent research, Gold Award Girl Scouts are more likely to fill leadership roles at work and in their personal lives, and are more civically engaged than their non-Girl Scout peers. Eighty-seven percent (87%) of Gold Award Girl Scouts agree that earning their Gold Award gave them skills that help them succeed professionally. Seventy-two percent (72%) said earning their Gold Award helped them get a scholarship. And the impact does not stop there. Ninety-nine percent (99%) of Gold Award alums go on to take on leadership roles in their everyday lives.

For more information about Girl Scouts of Nassau County or to learn how to join, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, visit www.gsnc.org.