Girl Scouts earn their Gold Awards

Girl Scouts San Diego recently honored 66 Girl Scouts who earned the prestigious Gold Award this year.

The Gold Award is the highest level achievement for Girl Scouts. To earn it, Scouts create sustainable projects that affect local and global issues. Among this year’s projects were creating outdoor gardens for grade school students to learn more about their environment; starting a social justice club for high school students to discuss controversial issues; teaching beekeeping; literacy activities; and bringing Indian culture to children, as well as hosting workshops in India that taught young people there about America.

The girls, from San Diego and Imperial counties, were honored by Girl Scouts San Diego during a recent virtual ceremony (view at sdgirlscouts.org/gold). Keynote speaker was 2019 National Gold Award Girl Scout Ana de Almeida Amaral, who described her work in social justice and racial equity. She joined guest speakers Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-ill.), a Gold Award Girl Scout; Sylvia Acevedo, CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA; and Liza Crisafi, board chair, and Carol Dedrich, CEO, Girl Scouts San Diego.

All girls in grades K-12 and adult volunteers are eligible to join the Girl Scouts. Contact Andrea Rentería at (619) 610-0774, or arenteria@sdgirlscouts.org, or visit sdgirlscouts.org.

Among the Gold Award Girl Scouts 2020 (not all girls wanted their names included):

Carlsbad: Caytre Ede, Carlsbad High School; Isabella Flanegan, Sage Creek High School; Jamison Ma, Canyon Crest Academy; Allison Mulvehill, Erica Strohm, La Costa Canyon High School

Carmel Mountain Ranch: Madalyn Nguyen, Poway High School

Carmel Valley: Ashley Hanson, Cadence Hsu, Samaya Patel, Torrey Pines High School; Riya Madan, Victoria Smitham, Canyon Crest Academy

Chula Vista: Rosanna Javier, Lucia Perez Valles, Olympian High School;

Makayla Mayor, California Connections Academy

Coronado: Brianna Heinken, Lily Roughneen, Anna Valades, Coronado High School

El Cajon: Jessica Chammas, Grossmont High School; Katelyn Gaglio, Santana High School; Rachel Henrickson, Valhalla

High School; Mia Marino, San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts;

Paige Hill, Paige Scarbrough, Helix Charter High School

Encinitas: Angelina Courtney, San Dieguito High School Academy

Escondido: Olivia Anderson, Escondido High School; Laura Christensen, San Pasqual High School; Faith Ruiz, Valley High School

Fairbanks Ranch: Emma Caringella, Cathedral Catholic High School; Adhiti Chandramohan, Shriya Selvakumar, Anika Sood, Del Norte High School

Fallbrook: Jade Marie Ingham, Fallbrook High School

Mira Mesa: Cadence Dobias, Cedar Life Academy; Summer Mcguckin, Mira Mesa High School

Otay Mesa: Ashley Matter, Coronado High School; Alyssa Olszewski, Bonita Vista High School

Poway: Veronica Edwards, Cathedral Catholic High School; Cecelia Gant, San Marcos High School

Ramona: Helen Buchanan, Mountain Valley Academy; Mikayla Mann, Poway High School

Rancho Bernardo: Annalisa Simonetti, Rancho Bernardo High School

Rancho Peñasquitos: Alyssa Ciemiewicz, Maya Glover-castro, Reshini Umesh, Westview High School

Rancho Santa Fe: Arden Woltman, Cathedral Catholic High School

San Diego: Crystalinda White, San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts; Bryn Brentnall, Clairemont High School; Alyssa Agarwal, Coronado High School; Molly Mccullough, San Diego High School International Studies; Isabella Catanzaro, Cathedral Catholic High School; Serena Jones, La Jolla High School; Hailey Pryor, High Tech High International; Jeyan Kirtay, Francis Parker School; Emma Taila, Serra High School;

Julianne Hom, Eden Tillotson, University City High School

San Marcos: Jordan Grasley, Sydney Huy, Courtney Titus, San Marcos High School; Cammy Mackinnon, Mission Hills High School; Sophia Morrison, High Tech High North County

Solana Beach: Siena Fischel, Torrey

Pines High School