Girl Scout Ambassador earns Gold Award

Leah Nguyen, of Girl Scout Ambassador Troop 1380, earned the prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award this year. The Gold Award is the highest award that a Girl Scout can earn. It is earned by completing at least 80 hours on a project of lasting impact. Fewer than 5% of all Girl Scouts earn the Gold Award.

Partnering with Loudoun Literacy Council, Leah’s project raises awareness of dyslexia and dysgraphia, two language-based learning disabilities which can greatly impact a child’s life skills and ability to reach his or her full potential in school.

Leah states, “I chose dyslexia and dysgraphia awareness for my Gold Award project because I want children to be identified and receive interventions as early as possible. Many do not get diagnosed until after third grade, or even as late as high school. It is also more difficult to identify dyslexia and dysgraphia in our English Language Learner (ELL) and underserved populations, and I saw an opportunity to partner with Loudoun Literacy Council to help address this problem. I believe that by educating parents about the signs and symptoms, fewer children will fall through the cracks.”

Leah led a team of volunteers in creating a presentation to help parents identify the possible signs and symptoms of dyslexia and dysgraphia in their own children, and to understand what they should do if they suspect their child has either of these learning disabilities. Loudoun Literacy Council will give this presentation to all their English for Speakers of Other Languages/ELL classes and School Success Programs.

Leah’s team also created informational bookmarks, featuring artwork by Loudoun County students, which Loudoun Literacy Council will include in the monthly book packs distributed as part of the Head Start/STEP preschool programs.

Provided in both English and Spanish, the presentation and bookmarks will reach thousands of families over the next few years!

Want to learn more about the great things that girls can do as Girl Scouts? Interested in joining? Check out our Council’s website at: https://www.gscnc.org/en/about-girl-scouts/who-we-are.html