Local Massapequa Teens Earn Prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award

Girl Scouts of Nassau County recently celebrated 51 local Girl Scouts who are members of the 2024 Girl Scout Gold Award class who made a positive impact, addressing causes they care about in their communities. Massapequa residents Alyssa Esposito, Olivia Asencio and Kelly Mullooly were among those Girl Scouts throughout Nassau County who reached this milestone.

“Every Girl Scout who earned their Gold Award this year demonstrated remarkable resilience, dedication, and passion in developing and implementing a plan to tackle a societal challenge. We are immensely proud and impressed by each one of them for achieving their goals and making a lasting impact on their communities,” said Rande Bynum, CEO of Girl Scouts of Nassau County. “Their commitment is undeniable, and their efforts have positively affected countless lives. This year, our Girl Scouts addressed critical issues such as environmental justice and sustainability, mental and emotional health, gender equality in sports, and more. We applaud each of them for their significant contributions.”

Girls in grades 9-12 begin their Gold Award journeys by identifying a civic or social issue that holds importance to them. Next, a Girl Scout builds a team to support her project with a mission to create a positive impact in her community. Gold Award projects are coordinated so that they can continue long after girls earn their award by establishing nonprofit organizations, publishing books to be added to school library collections, implementing classroom lessons to be taught for years to come or other initiatives to create lasting change. Through the process, Gold Award Girl Scouts become innovative problem-solvers, empathetic leaders, confident public speakers, and focused project managers, while educating and inspiring others. They learn resourcefulness, tenacity, and decision-making skills, giving them an edge personally and professionally. As they take action to transform their communities, Gold Award Girl Scouts gain tangible skills and prove they’re the leaders our world needs.

For her Gold Award, Alyssa hosted presentations for young people to learn how to perform the Heimlich maneuver, the gold-standard technique to help someone who is choking. She created posters, a slideshow presentation, and a self-written and illustrated children’s book. Alyssa partnered with Massapequa libraries, St. Rose of Lima Church, and the Hope for Youth Organization. Her project is sustained by the children’s book “Tiny Hands Save Lives,” which she donated to her presentation sites. The phrase that she shared to encourage children was: “Stay Knowledgeable, Stay Calm, Save Lives.”

Kelly’s Gold Award project, “Kid Komposting,” taught elementary children about composting. This process transforms organic matter like unused food scraps into nutrient- dense fertilizer to enrich soil and plants, effectively reducing waste. With assistance from the STEM teacher at Birch Lane Elementary School, Kelly presented information about composting to students, and then led an activity where each student created their own compost bins. She also created a guide called “Caring for Your Compost” for students to share with their families. Kelly also hosted her presentation for a Girl Scout Brownie and Junior troop.

Olivia focused her Gold Award on creating a warm, safe, and inclusive space where children who are dealing with devastating diagnosis can come together and make meaningful connections to combat isolation. She created a gathering space at the Kids Need More headquarters in Amityville, NY, where children can participate in biweekly or monthly programs with other children facing similar challenges. The space will be used for volunteers to host art classes, game and movie nights, and other themed activities. The More Than Art room was designed to ensure a creative, supportive, and inviting atmosphere for children to use for years to come.

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. Changing the world doesn’t end when a Girl Scout earns her Gold Award. Ninety-nine percent (99%) of Gold Award Girl Scout alums take on leadership roles in their everyday lives.

Girls in grades K-12 can begin their Girl Scout journey at any age. As girls grow with Girl Scouts, they learn hands-on leadership skills they’ll use to make their mark through the Gold Award and beyond. To join or volunteer, visit www.gsnc.org/join.

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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 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 alum, Girl Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them. To join, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, visit www.gsnc.org.