Fountain Valley Girl Scouts Earn Esteemed Gold Award

Irvine, California (December 17, 2019) -- Girl Scouts builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. The Girl Scout Gold Award is the pinnacle of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience, and it’s available exclusively to Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors (9-12 grade). Today, Girl Scouts of Orange County recognizes five Fountain Valley Girl Scouts who earned the Gold Award in 2019.

Girl Scouts of Orange County CEO Vikki Shepp shared: "We are so proud of what these remarkable young women have accomplished. They are problem-solvers who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership to change their community and our world forever. They are poised to continue creating groundbreaking solutions long into the future.”

2019 Fountain Valley Gold Award Girl Scouts

Malia Cortez (18) – Fountain Valley, Troop 458

Project Title: The Meaning Behind the Motions

Malia wanted to create awareness around the significance of the Memorial Day holiday. To do this, she created and distributed an educational Memorial Day booklet to about 2,500 middle school students. Malia also planned a Memorial Day event with the City of Fountain Valley and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). She collaborated with a team to create a timeline, budget and plan to execute the event. Malia’s Memorial Day event plan can be utilized again in the future. Her booklet has also been electronically distributed to schools throughout the school district for future use.

“While working with the City of Fountain Valley and the VFW in planning a Memorial Day event, I learned vast organizational and people skills. I also learned that creating an educational Memorial Day booklet for middle school students was quite rewarding. It was very inspirational to see how engaged the students were with my booklet and it was exciting to know that the booklet and an annual Memorial Day event will help sustain the significance of this holiday.”

Kahlen Do (16) – Fountain Valley, Troop 963

Project Title: Diabetes and Healthy Eating

Kahlen wanted to address the issue of childhood obesity and diabetes. She felt there was a strong correlation between obesity and diabetes and the growing number of children attached to their digital devices and lacking regular physical and outdoor activity. Kahlen traveled to three different elementary schools in her community where she taught children the importance of being physically active on a regular basis. She also shared about healthy eating habits and food choices. Kahlen worked with the Children’s Diabetes Foundation to carry out her project.

“As I worked to complete my Gold Award project, every obstacle brought an opportunity for me to acquire new skill sets in leadership, innovation and responsibility, and they all have shaped me into who I am today. After completing my project, I feel that I have grown a lot as a leader, as well as a person.”

My project address teen stress. Stress can be related to school, social, family, and more. My goal is to introduce CDMHS teens the tools to cope with stress and anxiety.

Tiffany Hoang (16) – Fountain Valley, Troop 2279

Project Title: Healthy Smile

Tiffany wanted to raise awareness about the prevalence of poor dental health among children. With the help of Fountain Valley Leo Club, her dentist, and her orthodontist, Tiffany organized weekly workshops at two Boys and Girls Club locations. These workshops aimed to educate children about the benefits and importance of maintaining healthy teeth. She also participated in a children’s community fair where she had a booth and shared how to implement healthy dental hygiene. Tiffany also created a website to reach more families who may be interested in learning more about her project.

“As I worked with young children and dental professionals to address the issue of inadequate dental knowledge in my community, I gained time management and people skills. My Gold Award allowed me to see that I am capable of improving my community and motivating others to do the same. Moving forward, I will use these skills in making the world a better place.”

Bao-Tran Nguyen (16) – Fountain Valley, Troop 21004

Project Title: STEM Family Night

Bao-Tran held a STEM family night at DeMille Elementary School to give young children in-depth knowledge of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math while having fun. The family night included 12 STEM stations. The students and parents learned more about STEM and were introduced to careers in STEM.. 80% of participants surveyed, responded that they enjoyed the hands-on activities and indicated they learned how Science and Technology affect their lives. DeMille Elementary School will continue to carry out STEM family night annually and share it with other elementary schools in Westminster School District.

“While leading this project and working with the school principal, staff, volunteers, and project advisors, I learned to collaborate with others and developed strong communication skills. I managed stress better by becoming more organized. I saw the benefits of sharing STEM with others because I saw how much the students enjoyed learning.”

Michelle To (15) – Fountain Valley, Troop 1956

Project Title: Buddies Against Bullying

Michelle wanted to be the voice and create a safer environment for students with special needs. She organized a bullying prevention workshop with Southland Integrated Services to increase awareness and acceptance of special needs students. Nearly 100 students participated in the workshop. Student clubs will sponsor an anti-bullying month each year and unite other schools and clubs to further educate and raise awareness of bullying prevention.

“I believe this project has helped me further develop my leadership and communication skills and learn to be more organized and prepared. The project granted me the opportunity to learn more about myself and how I can become a more effective leader. Many people supported me on this project, and I believe collaborative effort among team members can make a project successful.”

The Girl Scout Gold Award is the mark of the truly remarkable—proof that not only can she make a difference, but that she already has.

To earn the Gold Award, Girl Scouts typically spend one to two years exploring the root cause of a local or global issue (such as poverty, education, or the environment) and partner with the community to create lasting solutions.

Girl Scouts who earn the Gold Award distinguish themselves in the college admission process and receive scholarships from colleges and universities across the country. In addition, Gold Award Girl Scouts who join the military are eligible to enlist at a higher pay grade.

Over the years, nearly 3,000 Orange County Girl Scouts have earned this highest award. In 2019, 105 Orange County girls have joined this sisterhood of Gold Award Girl Scouts. To learn more about Orange County’s Gold Award Girl Scouts visit girlscoutsoc.org/goldaward.

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About the Girl Scout Gold Award

Gold Award Girl Scouts don’t just change the world for the better, they change it for good. The Gold Award is earned by girls in grades 9–12 who demonstrate extraordinary leadership in developing sustainable solutions to local, national, and global challenges. Since 1916, Girl Scouts have answered the call to drive lasting, impactful change. The Gold Award is the mark of the truly remarkable.

About Girl Scouts of Orange County

We are Girl Scouts of Orange County. We are 33,000 strong—nearly 20,000 girls and 13,000 adults who believe in the power of every G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™ to change the world. With programs in every zip code in Orange County, Girl Scouts offers every girl opportunities to practice a lifetime of leadership, adventure, and success. To volunteer, reconnect, donate, or join, visit girlscoutsoc.org.