2025 Reflections Program

In celebration of eastern Missouri Girl Scouts who have earned Girl Scouting's highest community service award, the Girl Scout Gold Award. UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI - ST. LOUIS MILLENNIUM STUDENT CENTER Reflections SUNDAY, JUNE 8, 2025

EVENT PROGRAM

OPENING REMARKS

LUNCH

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

2025 GSUSA GOLD AWARD SCHOLARSHIP PRESENTATION

CEO REMARKS Dr. Natissia Small, GSEM CEO

GOLD AWARD CEREMONY

CLOSING

SPECIAL THANKS TO DISTINGUISHED GUESTS Our Missouri State Representatives, Senators and Congressmen/ women for honoring our Gold Award Girl Scouts with printed, personalized resolutions. The St. Louis Marine Corps League Ladies Auxiliary #454 from the South St. Louis Detachment for recognizing our Gold Award Girl Scouts. GIRL SCOUT VOLUNTEERS AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS All volunteers who helped plan the event and assisted on-site today. FRANK AND ELSIE ST. CYR Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri is grateful for the support of Frank and Elsie St. Cyr in establishing a charitable trust for the future benefit of the Girl Scout Gold, Silver and Bronze Award Program. Their gift ensures funding for future Reflections ceremonies and other Council services related to the Girl Scout Gold, Silver and Bronze Award Program.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Officers Dawn L. Kotva, Board Chair Dr. Kimberly Hodge-Bell, 1st Vice Chair Jenny M. Bartlow, 2nd Vice Chair Mike Kiefer, Treasurer Vicki Dawkins, Secretary Members-at-Large Crystal D. Barker Laurel "Buff" Burkel

Michael Dozier Barb Grayson Meghana Hebbar Dr. Tiffany Holman-Besse Bhavana Lahoti Ashley Pyle Alexandria Seay

Anastasia Stevenson Dr. Cassandra Suggs

Keri Westland Mikayla Woods

HIGHER EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIPS Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri's ADVANCE HER ® Leadership Program Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri is committed to providing promising students with the academic enrichment, social support and life skills needed to succeed in college and careers. Under the leadership of GSEM CEO, Dr. Natissia Small, we are focused on securing higher education and technical institution partnerships, providing Girl Scouts and their families resources to assist with post-secondary planning. Since 2024, GSEM has signed scholarship agreements with six higher education institutions. The Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri ADVANCE HER © Leadership Program provides foundational, innovative and relevant post-secondary programming, support, and opportunities that complement the mission of Girl Scouting. This movement supports active Girl Scouts members through education, mentorship, professional skill-building, socio-emotional support, and access to resources needed to pursue and achieve post-secondary success.

To learn more about the ADVANCE HER © Leadership Program, scholarship requirements and to stay up-to-date on new college partners, scan the QR code below or visit girlscoutsem.org/advanceher .

GSEM ADVANCE HER © LEADERSHIP PROGRAM COLLEGE PARTNERS:

• MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY • SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY • UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI— ST. LOUIS • SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY—EDWARDSVILLE • SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY • ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE The GSEM ADVANCE HER® Leadership Program will continue to grow as additional agreements are secured.

Girl Scouts who pursue their Gold Award aspire to transform an idea and vision for change into an actionable plan with measurable, sustainable and far-reaching results. Those honored today are part of an elite group who used their knowledge, talents and leadership skills to improve the world around them. Gold Award Girl Scouts are community leaders in the truest sense. Their accomplishments reflect outstanding courage and civic duty. Earning the Gold Award represents the culmination of at least 80 hours of work on a leadership project that leaves a sustainable, lasting benefit on the local community. The Gold Award class of 2025 made a big impact as you can see highlighted below! GIRL SCOUT GOLD AWARD

25 Gold Award Girl Scouts

50+ Organizations Benefited

2,000+ Service Hours

GOLD AWARD COMMITTEE MEMBERS The Gold Award Committee assists Girl Scouts through their award process—from training to mentoring to reviewing final reports. Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri extends a heartfelt thank you to the following individuals for dedicating their time to serve on this committee.

Robin Ackerman Kayla Burch Dr. Meredith Byers

Dr. Sherry Fichtinger Kensa Koeppen

Dr. Kynedra Ogunnaike Melinda Orskog Dawn Overmann Pat Puller Anne Ross-Weldy

Lynn Schmidt Mariah Skelly, MT-BC Dr. Ruby Trice Georgette Williams

Lou Kramme Dana Meyer Judy Newell

Emery Corley Rhonda Eitel

ELIZABETH BABCOCK Feeding America estimates that almost 8 percent of St. Charles County is food insecure and for the state of Missouri the insecurity rate rises to more than 13 percent. Alarmed by these ever-increasing statistics, Elizabeth wanted to support local food pantries to earn her Girl Scout Gold Award. Elizabeth created a robust meal-kit program that included 30 recipes for pantry clients to use with the ingredients they often receive. Through utilizing the Pantry Meal Kit program, pantry clients learned not only how to cook easy, nutritious meals, but why certain foods are beneficial and what items are needed to form a complete and balanced meal. When utilizing Elizabeth's Pantry Meal Kits, pantries can turn donations into organized meal kits that help their clients live happier and healthier lives. "A visionary leader helps get people on board with a plan while a servant leader helps make sure no one is lost along the way. To complete my Gold Award, I had to be both. While daunting at first, I was able to not only assume the role of a leader, but I discovered I was able to thrive in that role." KRYSTINA BELL To earn her Girl Scout Gold Award, Krystina wanted to empower individuals in urban and land-locked environments to learn how to grow their own food and incorporate these ingredients into traditional recipes from a variety of cultures. Krystina developed an interactive website that teaches families how to plant seeds and grow their own food through step-by-step guides and recipes tailored to home-grown produce. She also partnered with Operation Food Search’s Metro Market, a mobile food market that brings healthy food to the St. Louis metropolitan area. This collaboration allowed her the opportunity to engage directly with community members, offering personalized advice on the available ingredients. By bridging the gap between food access and nutrition, Krystina empowered people to make healthier choices and incorporate fresh, home-grown ingredients into their everyday cooking. "I am passionate about addressing the lack of access to healthy foods, which is a problem faced by many communities across the globe. After meeting with various organizations in the St. Louis area, like Operation Food Search, I am determined to take action on a larger scale."

District 4, Troop 3230 St. Charles West High School 11 years in Girl Scouts

Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award

District 8, Juliette Parkway Central High School 13 years in Girl Scouts

Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award 13-Year Girl Scout 2024 Graduate Girl Scout

HALEY BRIELER Haley, an experienced Girl Scout camper, wanted to provide easily accessible information on the different unit types and layouts at Camp Cedarledge, a GSEM camp property located in Pevely, MO to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award. To achieve her goal, Haley created a YouTube channel with video tours of each unit, allowing leaders to see what the unit looks like and what amenities are available before they make their reservation. Haley shared her video series with troops in her local Girl Scout district. By providing troop leaders with access to video tours, they were able to make informed decisions about which units would fit their troop’s skill level, but also allow them to discover new things about the camp property. “After watching my videos, camp-certified troop leaders gained the knowledge necessary to accurately choose a unit at Camp Cedarledge that will fit both their troop’s skill level but also challenge them to learn more. Out-of-state troop leaders can also use my videos to see if they would like to visit our eastern Missouri camps.” GRACYN BURKE Gracyn set out to help decrease juveniles’ negative perceptions of police officers with their Girl Scout Gold Award project. Gracyn collected footage and personal interviews through Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri’s first responder immersion camp, Camp Fury STL, as well as COPS camp. Gracyn then turned the footage into a video that could be shared with children explaining the good things police officers do for our community, how to approach an officer and also answer some of the more common questions young people may have about the profession. Gracyn shared the video with Girl Scout troops and also provided it to the school’s resource officer to present to students across the district. “Through the Gold Award, I was able to overcome many challenges I never expected I would. I learned how resilient and dedicated I can be if I simply put my mind to it.”

District 12, Troop 3281 Rockwood Summit High School 13 years in Girl Scouts Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award 13-Year Girl Scout 2024 Graduate Girl Scout

District 14, Troop 3778 Wentzville Liberty High School 13 years in Girl Scouts Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award 13-Year Girl Scout 2024 Graduate Girl Scout

SOPHIA BYRNE Sophia noticed a large amount of trash accumulating along a branch of the Missouri River, know as the Centaur Chute. She jumped into action to clean up the harmful litter and earn her Girl Scout Gold Award. Sophia organized several cleanups of the Centaur Chute, which involved picking up trash and educating fellow community members about the importance of proper waste disposal for the health of wildlife and surrounding ecosystems. To further her project’s outreach, Sophia created an informational Instagram account to share helpful tips and tricks to implement living a more sustainable lifestyle. “Collecting 363 pounds of trash demonstrated our impact on improving the local environment. Further, in engaging with a wide range of people, I was able to raise awareness about and foster a greater sense of community responsibility towards environmental stewardship.” GRACE DOHERTY Concerned with the lack of sufficient knowledge of health risks and preventative healthcare practices to maintain physical and mental well-being, Grace set out to increase health literacy in her community with her Girl Scout Gold Award project. She teamed up with local businesses and healthcare professionals to host a health expo and blood drive to offer screenings to people in her area. She invited health-related businesses, as well as experts in audiology, chiropractic work, mental health counseling, senior fitness and emergency aid/CPR. Grace also created a temporary collection box for glasses and hearing aids to be donated to the Lions Club and she partnered with ImpactLife to hold a blood drive for local hospitals. To advertise the event, she made a website highlighting what she learned through her research to help disperse critical information in the future. Ultimately, Grace connected with many adults in her local community during the health expo, helping them gain valuable preventative healthcare information. “I practiced adaptability, communication, decision-making, and time management. It took a great deal of adaptability to adjust my plans to better suit the needs of the team as a whole and make the plan go more smoothly."

District 6, Troop 1964 John Burroughs School 11 years in Girl Scouts Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award 2024 Graduate Girl Scout

District 12, Juliette Lafayette High School 12 years in Girl Scouts Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award Graduating Girl Scout

KAITLYN EMERSON To earn her Girl Scout Gold Award, Kaitlyn wanted to address the barriers Americans face when making sustainable food choices for their families. To help move the needle on this important issue, Kaitlyn hosted community outdoor meetups where she presented on the importance of sustainable food sources and how they can incorporate them into weekly grocery shopping. She used those conversations as the jumping off point for her video series and pamphlet that help families ease into sustainable cooking. She showcased simple, everyday recipes to make the task of cooking sustainably seem less daunting. Through the videos she provided tips on how families can use what they have on hand to streamline the cooking process or choose appliances that are more energy efficient. “The most successful part of my project was the discussions I had with the people in my community about buying sustainably. I was able to learn more about people’s attitudes to sustainable living and how they are willing to try and incorporate it into their lives.” EMILY ETTER Inspired by her interests in camping and STEM, Emily designed, built and installed a giant chess board at Camp Cedarledge, a GSEM camp property located in Pevely, MO. The giant chess board provided her fellow Girl Scouts with an opportunity to learn the challenging and strategic game of chess in a peaceful outdoor setting. Emily also partnered with the St. Louis Chess Club to organize a grand opening event to showcase the new space and teach the game to younger Girl Scouts. To complete her project, she created a website with her design plans to help others build similar chess boards. “Through the Gold Award process, I learned that I am confident when asking for support. It was inspiring to see that I could actually make things happen and get so many others to actively support my project.”

District 8, Juliette Visitation Academy 11 years in Girl Scouts Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award 2024 Graduate Girl Scout

District 1, Troop 204 Lutheran South High School 13 years in Girl Scouts

Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award 13-Year Girl Scout Graduating Girl Scout

GRACE FADLOVICH Fidgets can help improve focus by providing a subtle, tactile outlet for restless energy, which can help individuals stay more engaged and on-task, especially those who struggle with inattention or hyperactivity. To earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, Grace wanted to provide these useful tools to kids across our region and help educators learn more about their benefits. Grace created her own fidgets and chewlery, which is jewelry used by students with sensory processing needs to satisfy their urge to chew. She provided instructions and handmade fidgets to schools, so they have the option to create these items in the future. By providing a handmade option, schools can create their own fidgets if a budget is not in place for these resources. She also developed a presentation for schools to show that fidgets are not just toys, but vital to the success of students who need the additional stimulation in the classroom. “What I learned about myself through this Gold Award project is that I am passionate about helping kids. Researching the topic and being more informed about what goes on made me more motivated to choose this career path.” MEGHANA HEBBAR Meghana addressed opossum conservation in the state of Missouri, primarily focusing on the protection and rehabilitation of opossums to earn her Girl Scout Gold Award. She partnered with the Missouri Wildlife Rescue Center to donate essential resources they need to support the rising numbers of injured opossums being admitted to their facility for treatment. With the help of her community, Meghana made 125 opossum pouches and 7 cage liners. She also made 75 craft kits with helpful educational resources and held two classes at the Saint Louis County Library Thornhill and Grand Glaize locations, where she reached more than 50 community members on the importance of opossums to our local environment. To complete her project, Meghana created a website with resources such a links to wildlife conservation databases all around the United States. This website reached over 100 people and was shared with the Missouri Wildlife Rescue Center to be shared with surrounding rescue centers in the Midwest. “Working closely with the Missouri Wildlife and Rescue Center and engaging with the public deepened my commitment to helping others and addressing community needs, and will push me to follow more initiatives in the future to support local organizations."

District 12, Troop 4404 Westminster Christian Academy 13 years in Girl Scouts Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award 13-Year Girl Scout 2024 Graduate Girl Scout

District 8, Juliette Parkway South High School 9 years in Girl Scouts

Milestones Girl Scout Silver Award

LILLIAN HENROID An avid camper, Lillian earned her Girl Scout Gold Award by creating, editing and publishing 24 detailed videos to support Girl Scout volunteers before they take their troops to a Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri camp property for the first time. Her video series detailed features of each campsite at Camp Tuckaho in Troy, MO, and Camp Fiddlecreek in Labadie, MO. Troop volunteers can use the videos to be more prepared and visualize the units before they camp at the properties with their Girl Scouts. Lillian collaborated with Girl Scout Camp Rangers to ensure she provided the most current information and important details. She shared her videos with more than 30 local Girl Scout troops, and she also sent them to neighboring Girl Scout councils in case their members visit our camps in the future. "One of the things I learned about myself is that while I am shy, I can be an effective communicator with just a little bit of confidence." LYDIA HINES To earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, Lydia wanted to help widen the audience and reach for the Lindbergh Arts Magazine, Apotheosis, a student-produced publication displaying the different forms of art created within the district. By turning Apotheosis into both a digital and physical publication, Lydia discovered that she could more easily share the students’ artwork outside of the district. Through a weekly school e-newsletter, she marketed the publication to her student body, asking for submissions and providing QR codes to digital editions. Additionally, the magazine was distributed to the St. Louis Women’s Club to help share the students’ work with members of the metro area. “Before earning my Gold Award, I worried about how I would be teaching others and taking charge of a classroom. This project helped me find the part of myself that could do those things. Helping others learn is truly something I look forward to committing my life to.”

District 12, Troop 3281 Parkway Central High School 13 years in Girl Scouts

Milestones Girl Scout Silver Award 13-Year Girl Scout 2024 Graduate Girl Scout

District 4, Troop 3534 Lindbergh High School 13 years in Girl Scouts Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award 13-Year Girl Scout 2024 Graduate Girl Scout

TRUE HOWARD Motivated to help area shelter dogs find comfort and reduce their anxiety, True designed and created snuffle mats to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award. Snuffle mats are puzzle feeders for dogs to encourage them to use their noses to “snuffle” through the fabric, providing mental and physical stimulation and preventing overeating due to anxiety. True’s mats were made from recycled materials, using remnant fleece and old fatigue mats. She conducted teaching workshops for a variety of groups including Girl Scout troops, her high school and Team Activities for Special Kids (TASK) where she instructed them on how to assemble the mats. She ultimately donated 58 mats, and an instructional flyer to the Humane Society of Missouri. “There are about 3,500 shelters across America with dogs who suffer from food anxiety. One way to highly benefit all the shelter dogs across the country is with snuffle mats which would help them be better dogs and have higher chances of getting into new homes.” PAIGE JACKSON Paige’s Gold Award project addressed the importance of first aid safety within her school environment and local community, while supporting refugee families coming to the area who may not have basic first aid supplies at their disposal. Paige and her team of peers partnered with Humankind STL and Welcome Neighbor to raise funds to purchase first aid kits, and shop for basic over the-counter medicine for refugee families. She translated the over-the counter medicine labels into the languages Pashto and Dari and assembled kits for the families. Paige also developed a presentation that addressed the need for education on emergency preparedness and refugee support and presented her findings to Girl Scout troops and her school, including 450 students and 20 faculty and staff. “I feel like I was able to impress upon my peers an empathic spirit and understanding of families within our community that need to uproot their lives for the safety of their families. I put a project plan in place and executed that project while learning how to effectively lead people.”

District 10, Troop 3565 Seckman High School 13 years in Girl Scouts Milestones Girl Scout Silver Award 13-year Girl Scout 2024 Graduate Girl Scout

District 14, Juliette St. Joseph's Academy 13 years in Girl Scouts Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award 13-Year Girl Scout 2024 Graduate Girl Scout

CLAIRE KROB Claire was inspired to address the lack of resources and entertainment for young children attending service at her place of worship, Glendale Presbyterian Church. Claire recognized that church services can often be long and may not hold the attention of children who are eager to move and play. To earn her Girl Scout Gold Award, Claire added a cabinet at her church filled with various fidgets, books and activities for the young congregation. She also improved the prayer ground by adding new and flexible seating along with some stuffed toys depicting bible animals. Claire built a cabinet to hold a TV, so families can stream the worship service and stay connected with the whole congregation. To complete her project, Claire updated her congregation by presenting at a church service to help spread the world. Claire’s project was funded through a grant from the Columbia Theological Seminary. “I was able to learn all about how to manage a large and complex project and process. When I conducted my pre and post survey, along with communicating with my team, I learned that I had to be able to adapt my communication style to work best with a diverse group of people.” KETKI NAIK Passionate about helping her fellow students reduce stress in their daily lives, Ketki worked with the non-profit organization, Bruhan Maharashtra Mandal, to create webinars and workshops teaching young people how to use art as a way to improve their mental health. Her workshops lead students in a variety of creative arts and crafts, and she taught different methods on how to prevent daily stress, as well as how to put the methods into action. To complete her Gold Award Project, Ketki worked with the students at McKelvey Elementary to paint a special mural in their building. The mural will help expose students to the arts and will foster their creativity. "By bringing awareness to poor mental health in my workshops, I taught attendees how to use art as a way to reduce stress. Art allows for self-expression, and a creative outlet, which can draw people's thoughts away from the negativity in their lives."

District 6, Troop 705 Kirkwood High School 12 years in Girl Scouts Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award

District 8, Troop 115 Parkway Central High School 11 years in Girl Scouts

Milestones 2024 Graduate Girl Scout

ELIZABETH NEW To honor her father’s military service, Elizabeth dedicated her Gold Award project to helping the St. Charles American Legion Post 312 make improvements to their facility. She reframed their hall stage by replacing the flooring with new lumber and updated the stage’s electrical components and data feed for their Bingo console. She also updated the landscaping surrounding the front flagpole at the legion to help beautify their outdoor space and to create an inviting entrance for members and guests. The legion members will benefit from the new upgraded stage and a more modern appearance which will allow members to host additional events, generating more revenue for the organization. “Through the Gold Award process, I learned that I could accomplish big and important things. I learned that working through exhausting days is worth it for the joy that it can bring to those in my community. Trying new things does not always have to be hard and challenging and I can achieve anything I put my mind and effort into!” REAGAN REDMON After discovering that more than 75 percent of people with Alzheimer's Disease also suffer from anxiety, Reagan was inspired to help develop a solution that can calm them, like her own grandmother. To earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, Reagan got to work creating fidget blankets for patients with Alzheimer's at a local nursing home, Bethesda Dilworth, to help soothe and relax the patients, ultimately decreasing their anxiety. She worked with the staff at the nursing home to demonstrate how to use the blankets effectively with patients and created a video showing others how to make the fidget blankets and their uses. “The most successful part of my Gold Award project was seeing how beneficial these blankets were to bringing good spirit into the nursing home when I delivered the blankets. It brought so much joy to the patients, the nurses, and me.”

District 14, Troop 1166 Wentzville Holt High School 13 years in Girl Scouts

Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award 13-Year Girl Scout Graduating Girl Scout

District 6, Troop 766 Kirkwood High School 13 years in Girl Scouts Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award 13-Year Girl Scout 2024 Graduate Girl Scout

UDIPTI SINHA Inspired to help her community of DeSoto discover an interest in space exploration, Udipti developed a comprehensive awareness and education plan surrounding her town’s moon tree. A moon tree is a tree grown from seeds that have been taken into orbit around the moon. The first moon trees went into space in 1971, traveled around the moon and back to Earth to be planted at locations across the world. As part of her Gold Award project, Udipti created a larger plaque for the local moon tree located in DeSoto Park to raise awareness with the local community and visitors. She also created flyers and brochures that were posted in neighboring communities to help educate and encourage residents to visit the moon tree. To complete her project, Udipti presented to a group of 2nd graders and their teachers about the Apollo 14 mission, space exploration and moon trees. Local Girl Scouts will continue to care for the site for years to come. “The leadership skills I put into practice throughout my Gold Award Project included not letting my team down when we hit a rough spot and listening to all input. I became a more confident speaker, not afraid to speak my mind and what I wanted for my project.” CAROLINE SMITH Concerned about the staggering statistics of declining bee populations in the United States by upwards of 60 percent, Caroline took action to build, distribute and install bee houses throughout the St. Louis area in local parks, homes and community gardens to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award. In addition to her work creating bee houses, she also educated children and adults about the importance of bees as pollinators, their influence on our food and drug supply and their role in the global fight against hunger. Caroline created a website on the importance of bee pollinators and how to provide a welcoming habitat for them in a residential green space. “I hope that my Girl Scout Gold Award project will increase and sustain bee populations in the St. Louis area for years to come. My website will also continue to educate people about bees. I have shared it with the science department at my school, Nerinx Hall High School, and several other area high schools, including the science coordinator for the entire St. Louis City Public School System.”

District 11, Troop 1492 North County High School 13 years in Girl Scouts

Milestones 13-Year Girl Scout Graduating Girl Scout

District 2, Juliette Nerinx Hall High School 13 years in Girl Scouts Milestones Girl Scout Silver Award 13-Year Girl Scout Graduating Girl Scout

HALEY SPIRZ Haley, an avid reader, wanted to provide kids with additional guidance on how to find their next great book or series to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award. She worked with the librarian at Independence Elementary School to develop “If you like this book, read this one” displays at the school. Throughout the school year, she replaced the book selections and added new ones as books came into the library’s collection. She also posted her flyers to social media and shared them with additional libraries throughout the St. Louis metro area that are now implementing her project at their locations as well. “My project helped kids expand their literacy knowledge by finding interest in similar books. This will keep them reading so they don’t spend a lot of time on electronics. Also, it's easier to read when they really like the book and find one close to it easily.” ELYSE TOWNSEND To earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, Elyse partnered with Ackerman School to rejuvenate their existing sensory garden and create an inviting space that provides children of all abilities a chance to find calm and peace. In addition to planting new perennials to beautify the area, Elyse also constructed a bench for the students to relax on. To help children interact with the garden, Elyse created a scavenger hunt game that can help students learn how to identify objects of different textures, colors and sizes based on a hint card that describes the object. Elyse trained members of the Ackerman School staff on how to facilitate the game with their students. Elyse’s renovation of this important space will help students immerse themselves in nature for years to come. “Throughout my project, I put many leadership skills into practice, such as project management, collaboration, managing a team, and decision-making. When I needed help with new ideas or implementing my project, I had to collaborate with my team to ensure goals and deadlines were met to the best of our abilities.”

District 4, Troop 1751 Francis Howell High School 13 years in Girl Scouts

Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award 13-Year Girl Scout 2024 Graduate Girl Scout

District 9, Troop 1331 Hazelwood West High School 11 years in Girl Scouts

Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award

AMBER TYSON Focused on helping young adults and teens embrace their natural hair and keep it healthy, Amber created a workshop on natural hair care for those in her community to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award. Amber’s workshop focused on the avoidance of chemical services and how those with limited funds can still have beautiful natural hair. Her workshop also provided tips for single parents or caregivers on how to help style the hair of the young people in their care. Amber also created tutorial videos filmed in the cosmetology shop at North Technical High School and her principal shares the videos with students interested in pursuing a career in cosmetology. “By completing my Gold Award project, I found more of my personal strengths. It felt good to be able to help people in my community in a way that I didn’t really know was possible. That was the best outcome.” OLIVIA VAN HORN Driven by a desire to support students facing a lack of accessibility to college planning materials, Olivia created and launched a comprehensive website tailored to middle and high school students to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award. The website includes guides, checklists, and resources to aid students as they navigate the college application process. To help her website reach a wider audience, Olivia established partnerships with local schools and community organizations who shared her information through direct outreach, emails and promotional materials, making it accessible to a broader network of students and educators. Her website will be maintained by the Francis Howell School District so it can continue to be available for students. “I learned to overcome obstacles and challenges by breaking tasks into manageable steps, seeking help and feedback and practicing resilience. I gained valuable skills in project management, web design, and communication, ultimately making an impact on increasing accessibility to college planning resources for marginalized students.”

District 3, Troop 1922 Hazelwood West High School

North Technical School 12 years in Girl Scouts

Milestones Girl Scout Silver Award 2024 Graduate Girl Scout

District 4, Troop 224 Francis Howell High School 13 years in Girl Scouts

Milestones 13-Year Girl Scout Graduating Girl Scout

CHLOE VARGO Chloe wanted to give the gift of play to young children enduring struggles in their lives, especially those with long-stays at locations like hospitals or shelters. To earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, this change-maker got to work making 70 digital coloring pages and 24 unique word searches for children with a wide variety of themes and topics for distribution by area hospitals and housing facilities. Chloe sketched all the coloring sheet designs herself and used a drawing app to make clean line art for the finished product. To make sure her themes were of interest to children, she shared them with the students at Wabash Elementary School who helped her narrow down the best designs. She then distributed the files to organizations across the nation, including Crisis Nursery and St. Louis Children’s Hospital who will use them in the future. “The most successful portion of my project was the number of files I was able to produce. Drawing can take a lot of time, with much of my personal art taking 4-8 hours to complete a single piece. I worked as quickly and efficiently as I could whilst maintaining a good quality to give the children as many different pages and subjects.”

District 14, Troop 1166 Wentzville Holt High School 13 years in Girl Scouts

Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award 13-year Girl Scout Graduating Girl Scout

By earning the Gold Award, our Girl Scouts have joined an elite group of rock stars, role-models and real-life heroes. They have made a lasting impact in their communities—and beyond. And we can't wait to see what they do next! Because they have earned the highest honor in Girl Scouting, these 25 Gold Award Girl Scouts can look forward to some benefits from Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri. CHANGEMAKER SCHOLARSHIP All Girl Scouts who earn their Gold Award at the 2025 Reflections Ceremony will be considered for the 2026 Changemaker Scholarship; a $5,000 higher-education scholarship awarded at Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri’s annual Dessert First event. The Changemaker Scholarship Committee will begin the selection process in summer 2025. LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP Our 2025 Gold Award Girl Scouts will be gifted a Lifetime Membership from Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri upon graduation. Lifetime members have access to a supportive group of like-minded individuals to help alum continue their involvement and engagement with our organization, in whatever way that inspires them, for years to come. Learn more about the benefits of a Lifetime Membership at girlscouts.org/lifetime . CELEBRATE YOUR GIRL SCOUT Honor your Girl Scout's incredible achievement with a tribute to the Gifts for Girls: Helping Girls Soar Higher campaign. Your gift will help future Girl Scouts make a lasting impact in their communities and will be recognized in our annual Impact Report . Please utilize the remittance envelope provided or visit girlscoutsem.org/donate . Thank you for supporting the next generation of leaders! CONGRATULATIONS

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