Local Mineola and East Williston Teens Earn Prestigious Girl Scout Gol

MINEOLA/EAST WILLISTON, NEW YORK (JUNE 2022) — Girl Scouts of Nassau County recently honored Mineola and East Williston residents Sarah Faley, Alexandra Mora, Meghan O’Sullivan and Deanna Polosino for earning their Gold Awards. The Gold Award is the highest and most prestigious award a Girl Scout can achieve, as it recognizes the remarkable dedication she has for improving their community and the world around them. Sarah, Alexandra, Meghan, and Deanna were presented with their Gold Awards at the Girl Scouts of Nassau County's 2022 Gold Awards Ceremony, joining an elite group of 53 young women from throughout Nassau County who earned the highest honor a Girl Scout can achieve.

“The recipients of this year’s Gold Awards have displayed diligence, compassion and altruism in approaching issues facing their communities,” said Randell Bynum, the chief executive officer of Girl Scouts of Nassau County. “Their efforts have not gone unnoticed in their communities and their impacts will leave an imprint for years to come. I applaud them for addressing topics like social justice, mental health, the environment and more, while putting forth solutions to create a better world.”

The Gold Award program is designated for Girls in grades 9-12 and is intended to help Girls explore civic and social issues they are passionate about pursuing. The process of earning a Gold Award begins with a Girl Scout identifying a civic or social issue, then drafting a plan to approach the issue and, lastly, partnering with volunteers or community leaders to implement it. The plan implemented needs to be sustainable and reach beyond the Girl Scout’s personal community.

Sarah Faley taught her community about the importance of trees in our environment for her Gold Award Project, “Planting the Park.” Partnering with the mayor and superintendent of public works in Mineola, she planted trees in her local park that are all native to the area. Sarah led tours of the park where she informed groups on the critical need to replant lost trees. She emphasized the role trees have in preventing soil erosion, providing habitats for animals, cleaner air, shade, and how trees bring natural beauty to the community. This information can also be accessed on her website she created to educate a larger audience about preserving the environment. Sarah’s project will be sustained through her website and the information she shared with her community. Sarah is an alumna of Sacred Heart Academy and is studying biology and environmental science at Stonehill College in Massachusetts.

Alexandra Mora presented her Gold Award Project, “Coding and Climate Change,” to local middle school students. The project focused on how they can be more environmentally conscious, live more sustainably, and to take action in environmental issues occurring in their own lives. She developed virtual educational resources and created the coding for two online activities for the students. Mora’s project is sustained by her local middle school using it in the environmentalism and sustainability unit for years to come, and her resources can be accessed through her website to learn more about climate change. Alexandra is a recent graduate of Mineola High School and will study cell and molecular biology at Northeastern University in the fall.

Through her Gold Award Project, “Raising Awareness About the Water Crisis,” Meghan O’Sullivan confidently addressed the issue of water conservation. She presented information about water-conserving practices and how to incorporate them into our daily lives to the East Williston Town Hall and the Carle Place Senior Group. She also educated community members on how the Eye on Water app can assist them in becoming more mindful of their water usage habits. Her user-friendly website provides viewers with current information on the water crisis and the technological changes that are critical in ensuring the longevity of our water sources. Meghan’s resources will be sustained through her website and the Women in Technology club she started at her high school. Meghan is a recent graduate of Sacred Heart Academy and will attend Northeastern University in the fall.

Deanna Polosino’s project, “Engineering the Way to Help the Hungry,” informed students about food insecurity by using creativity and engineering skills to earn her Gold Award. She collaborated with Canstruction, an organization that holds a competition for schools and engineering companies to build structures entirely out of cans. She held a canned food drive, taught her peers how to use AutoCAD in the building process for Canstruction, and educated them on the impact of food insecurity in the community. After the Canstruction competition, she donated the cans and boxes to Corpus Christi Church. Deanna’s Gold Award project will continue to be sustainable by the Canstruction Club she started in her high school and their annual Thanksgiving food drive. Deanna is a recent graduate of Mineola High School and will study Aerospace Engineering with a concentration in Astronautics at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the fall.

According to the Girl Scout Research Institute, girls who have achieved their Gold Award, experience greater life success due to a greater sense of self, satisfaction, leadership, life achievements, community service and civic engagement. Gold Award Girl Scouts who enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces may receive a higher pay grade and can receive scholarships or other recognition from most colleges or universities.

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We Are Girl Scouts: Girl Scouts bring their dreams to life and work together to build a better world. Through programs in Nassau County, across Long Island and from coast to coast, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges—whether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike or advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends. Backed by trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and millions of alumni, Girl Scouts leads the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them. To join us, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, visit girlscouts.org.