Local Seaford/Wantagh Teens Earn Prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award

Girl Scouts of Nassau County recently celebrated 55 local Girl Scouts who are members of the 2023 Girl Scout Gold Award class who made a sustainable impact, addressing causes they care about in their communities. Seaford and Wantagh residents Corinne Kassatly, Angelina Bendetti, Hannah Popadin-Lesniak, Nicole Nietsch, Nicole Tobia were among 55 Girl Scouts throughout Nassau County who reached this milestone.

“Each of the Girl Scouts who earned their Gold Award this year showed fortitude, diligence and enthusiasm in creating and executing a plan to act on a societal issue. We are very proud and impressed by each of them for reaching their goals and leaving a legacy with their communities,” said Randell Bynum, the CEO of Girl Scouts of Nassau County. “Their dedication is evident and their hard work has touched countless lives. This year, we had Girl Scouts addressing real-life issues such as environmental justice and sustainability, mental and emotional wellness, gender equality in sports, and more. We commend each of them for their important work.”

Girls in grades 9-12 begin their Gold Award journeys by identifying a civic or social issue that holds importance to them. Next, a Girl Scout builds a team to support her project with a mission to create a positive impact in her community. Gold Award projects are coordinated so that they can continue long after girls earn their award by establishing nonprofit organizations, publishing books to be added to school library collections, implementing classroom lessons to be taught for years to come or other initiatives to create lasting change. Through the process, Gold Award Girl Scouts become innovative problem-solvers, empathetic leaders, confident public speakers, and focused project managers, while educating and inspiring others. They learn resourcefulness, tenacity, and decision-making skills, giving them an edge personally and professionally. As they take action to transform their communities, Gold Award Girl Scouts gain tangible skills and prove they’re the leaders our world needs.

Through her project, “C Your Challenge,” Corinne strived to create a motivational fitness community to inspire her peers to engage in physical activity and to lead a healthy lifestyle. She partnered with her middle school’s younger Girl Scout troops and physical education teacher to create workout plans and games that got the students involved in physical activity. She built a social media platform and website to provide information, workouts and inspiration that allows her project to continue to grow and make an impact nationwide.

For her project, “Get in the Game,” Angelina recognized that many high school athletes who wanted to continue their sport in college did not know how to connect with college-level athletic programs. She understood that a visit with the college coach and team would be valuable help for students to formulate what kind of college they would like to attend. She created a manual and a website detailing the steps she followed to coordinate a college visit with an athletic team. She publicized this information to other teams in her high school.

Hannah’s project, “The Dance Depot,” included a partnership with the organization Donate 2 Dance, which matched Hannah with a dance company in need of donations. At Destination Dance, where she has been dancing competitively, she collected over 500 gently worn recital costumes, 20 pairs of dance shoes, leotards, tights and accessories. She organized costumes and labeled them by size for easier distribution. Hannah’s project will be sustained by her dance studio, which will collect donations for dancers in disadvantaged areas.

Nicole Nietsch realized that most young girls are enrolled in dance or gymnastics activities instead of sports and are not always given the same opportunities as boys or treated the same way in athletics. For her project, “Promoting Female Athletes,” she provided a way for young girls to learn the sport of basketball in a safe environment. She created a website that provides basic training and warm-up drills, as well as important information for athletes. As a three-sport varsity athlete, she wanted other young girls to have the same chances she had on the courts. She shared this website with elementary school gym teachers to ensure that her message would get to the right audience.

For her project, “Knowledge is Power,” Nicole Tobia created and implemented an awareness campaign focusing on the lack of access students in foster homes and homeless shelters have to academic resources for exams such as the ACT and SAT. She ran review-book collections in her school and public library, working alongside her school’s student government to promote the effort. She recorded a podcast, with episodes focused on first-generation students, giving advice on how to fill out a college application, sign up for the SAT, visit colleges virtually, and access the financial aid office. Her project will continue to educate individuals on college preparation and the application process.

Girls in grades K-12 can begin their Girl Scout journey at any age. As girls grow with Girl Scouts, they learn hands-on leadership skills they’ll use to make their mark through the Gold Award and beyond. To join or volunteer, visit www.gsnc.org/join.

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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 lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them. To join, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, visit girlscouts.org.