Highest Awards Spotlights
The Girl Scout Bronze, Silver, Gold, and GSHCC Rose Awards exemplify how Girl Scouts develop the skills and values needed to build a better today—and shape a brighter tomorrow. Each award challenges girls to identify meaningful issues, design and lead sustainable projects that create lasting positive change in their communities, and embody the core Girl Scout values of courage, confidence, and character.
- The Bronze Award, earned by Juniors (grades 4–5), emphasizes teamwork and community service projects that address local needs.
- The Silver Award, for Cadettes (grades 6–8), requires a higher level of leadership, strategic planning, and community engagement.
- The Gold Award is the highest honor for Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts (grades 9–12), demanding exceptional leadership, creativity, and a long-term commitment to making a significant impact.
- The GSHCC Rose Award, recognizes Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts (grades 9–12) who demonstrate personal growth and global awareness through long-term engagement in service, life skills, and leadership development.
To support the aspirations of these dedicated girls, GSHCC offers several scholarships that recognize leadership, hard work, and community service. These scholarships empower Girl Scouts to continue their education and pursue their goals as the next generation of changemakers.
GSHCC Board of Directors Scholarship Awardee: Sophia Garcia
For her Gold Award project, Sophia addressed food insecurity by increasing access to healthy groceries for families in the Oak Park community. She established a community "Freedge"—a free food pantry—at the Parker Family Resource Center, creating a sustainable system for affordable, nutritious food distribution.
GSHCC Go Gold Scholarship Awardee: Olivia Kim
Olivia’s Gold Award project focused on inspiring youth environmental stewardship by redesigning the climate change curriculum for Girl Scouts. She developed comprehensive guidebooks, launched a website, and led workshops to make climate education more accessible and engaging for young learners.
Kristin Anne Chapman-Elbon Memorial STEM Scholarship Awardee: Kate Ainley-Zoll
Kate authored Portraits of Perseverance: The BIG BOOK of 200 Women in STEM, highlighting the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. To publish her book, she founded Nottingham Press, LLC. Additionally, Kate donated 47 STEM-focused books to a local STEM center serving girls ages 5 to 18 in Tracy.
GSUSA Gold Award Scholarship Awardee: Marissa Gong
Partnering with staff at Bowling Green McCoy Elementary School, a Title 1 school, Marissa aimed to improve literacy among socioeconomically disadvantaged students. She created book boxes and launched a book swap program, providing over 100 books to support early reading skills development.
Together, these scholarships celebrate the leadership, dedication, and impact of Girl Scouts, supporting their educational journeys and empowering them to become the changemakers of tomorrow.
