By Hannah Frazier

They do so much more than sell delicious cookies. The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest award Girl Scouts can earn and demands hard work from dedicated girls. Girl Scouts are required to come up with a sustainable project that helps the community in some way. Scouts are honored with a special pin and a trophy to commemorate their achievement.

Junior Sierra Smith has recently applied for her Girl Scout Gold Award after eight years of being a Girl Scout. She has been working towards the award for a little over a year. For her project, Sierra made a wind tunnel. She spent 120 hours, 40 over the minimum requirement, to earn her award. In these hours, she planned her project, made her design, created blueprints, made lesson plans, and posted videos on how to recreate her project. She decided to make a wind tunnel to help physics teachers and physics students be able to create a visual model of some of the concepts that they focus on and also due to her interest in flight.

She leaves a bit of advice to young Girl Scouts hoping to earn this award someday: “Start early because it can take a while and it can take longer than you initially think. But keep going and ask for help. Never be afraid to ask for help.”

Junior Allison Evdokimo has been a Girl Scout since kindergarten and recently began working towards her Gold Award. Allison is still in the planning process of the award and says, “Once I’m done though, I hope to better the community in some way.” Specifically, Allison is planning an animation project with which she hopes to empower people (especially women) to express themselves and do so unapologetically. Allison plans on being a Girl Scout for as long as she can because she has gained so much from it and will use the lessons she has learned in her college life and beyond.

These two ladies are so inspirational and are great role models for working to improve the community. Congratulations, Sierra and good luck, Allison!