Girl Scouts of Nassau County recently presented more than 70 Gold Awards, including ones to Krista Davy and Waliya Noor Qureshi of the Carle Place/Westbury Association, during a ceremony hosted at Adelphi University. The Gold Award program recognizes the power and dedication shared by an elite group of young women who earn the highest honor a Girl Scout can achieve. Davy and Qureshi spent more than 80 hours each over the past year planning, executing and presenting the results of their projects, which aimed to make the world a better place for others as well as themselves.
“We are extremely proud to celebrate so many local young women earning the prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award,” said Donna Ceravolo, executive director and CEO of the Girl Scouts of Nassau County. “On average, only five percent of eligible Girl Scouts successfully earn the Gold Award, making these girls part of an exclusive group of women with the tools to become leaders in the 21st century.”
Davy created her project, N.O. B.U.L.L.I.E.S, with the goal of educating the youth in her community about the effects bullying can have on a person. In hopes of making her peers aware of the bullying issue that can affect anyone, Davy held educational workshops at her school and local community center. She teamed up with her school’s art club to create a mural that expressed the idea of tolerance. After completing the workshops at her school, community center and local troop meetings, Davy gave out copies of her materials so others can host education workshops on the prevention of bullying in the future.
Qureshi took on the challenge of creating a reading club at her school for students in kindergarten through second grade. Through her project, Let’s Read, she was able to stress the importance of reading in one’s daily life. Qureshi worked with the Crescent School to present a PowerPoint and fun activities that helped the students understand how reading can be enjoyable. The club was so successful, the school intends to continue it next year with the hope that more children will be encouraged to read. A recent graduate of the Crescent School, Qureshi was a member of the National Honor Society, officer of the Model UN Club and a tutor for younger students. She will attend St John’s University.
—Submitted by the Girl Scouts of Nassau County
