2025 Reflections Program

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