'Young Woman Of Courage And Character': Seal Beach Star Student

SEAL BEACH, CA — Star Students are found in classrooms, on concert and theater stages and at debate lecterns, and out in the community doing good things to make life better for all of us.

Here at Patch, we've launched an initiative to help recognize Star Students, and we’re working to tell the stories of these outstanding kids to their neighbors.

This submission comes from Emily Carlton who nominated Ellie of Seal Beach, California.

Star local student’s name

Ellie

What grade is your star local student in?

10

How do you know the star local student?

For the past 11 years, I have been Ellie's Girl Scout Leader.

Why do you believe the star local student should be recognized?

I am the Girl Scouts Orange County Service Unit 105 Lead, as well as the troop leader for Troop 3262 in Los Alamitos. For the past 11 years, I have been fortunate enough to be Ellie Sutherland's Girl Scout leader, and I've watched her grow into an amazing young woman who embodies all the characteristics of a Girl Scout, most importantly she is a young woman of courage, confidence and character.

It's her character that led me to nominate her for this honor. For the past year, she has worked tirelessly towards the completion of her Gold Award project, the highest award in Girl Scouts.

Her project addresses the issue of military mental health in deployed servicemen and women, and over the span of just a few months, she has worked to provide connection to almost 300 soldiers stationed away from home experiencing isolation from friends and family. Her dedication to her project is evident in every conversation she has about it.

And, Her commitment to making the world a better place through Girl Scouts for the past 11 years is further testament to her amazing character. It is with great pride that I nominate Ellie Sutherland, founder of the program: Support A Soldier for this public acknowledgment.

What's one thing you want everyone to know about the star local student?

Ellie is incredibly busy, a 4.2 GPA honor student, a lacrosse player on the Los Alamitos girls lacrosse team, and very active in her Faith community. Despite her busy life, she finds ways to give back on a regular basis, especially through her Gold Award project, Support A Soldier, which has a global impact.

Congratulations on your achievements, and all of our best wishes to you in the future, Ellie!

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