The Girl Scouts of Nassau County recently recognized Monika Dharia, a Mineola High School graduate, for earning the Gold Award, the highest and most prestigious award within the Girl Scouts. In order to be eligible for a Gold Award, a Girl Scout must have completed two Girl Scout Senior or Ambassador Journeys or have already received the Silver Award and completed one additional Journey.
The Gold Award also requires the completion of 80-hours or more of an individual leadership Take Action project that makes a sustainable and measurable impact on an important issue or need in the community and that serves to educate and inspire others in the community.
Dharia’s Girl Scout Gold Award Take Action Project, Save the Environment! Eat Organically!, served to educate young people on the effects of synthetic pesticides and encourage children, ages 11 to 16, to eat organically. She did so through interactive presentations including a taste test, which compared the taste of organic fruit to fruit treated with synthetic pesticides.
Dharia also distributed pamphlets at local libraries explaining the harmful effects of exposing people to synthetic pesticides. She also conducted her own research confirming that synthetic pesticides can have a toxic effect on humans including endocrine disruption and the promotion of certain cancers. Her presentations, pamphlets and research informed many people about the value of eating organically.
“Earning the Gold Award is an incredible achievement that only 5 percent of all Girl Scouts nationwide obtain,” said Donna Ceravolo, executive director and CEO of the Girl Scouts of Nassau County. “We are all so proud of the Gold Award recipients. Their hard work and dedication is truly admirable.”
This award recognizes the Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts for their leadership skills and excellence and must be completed before or during the Girl Scout’s senior year in high school. To the majority of the girls receiving the Gold Award, it serves as the peak of their Girl Scout Leadership Experience.
A lifelong value comes with having earned a Gold Award. Recipients of the Gold Award who enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces may receive advanced rank for their achievements. Most universities and colleges offer scholarships or other recognition to Gold Award recipients and yearly. Notable Gold Award recipients include Jan Hopkins, CNN financial news anchor, and Betsy Boze, senior fellow at American Association of State Colleges and Universities and president at Kent State University at Stark.
