side menu icon

Apply for the $10,000 GSUSA Gold Award Scholarship

Are you a high school senior or graduate who has earned the Gold Award? If the answer is yes, then you are eligible to apply for a $10,000 college scholarship! The GSUSA Gold Award Scholarship recognizes and provides financial support to one Gold Award Girl Scout per council. 

In addition to receiving a scholarship, each recipient will receive an award letter and recognition in local and national Girl Scout promotions, including on www.girlscouts.org/goldawardclass.

Only high school seniors or graduates who earned the Gold Award between April 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023, and have their final report on file and approved in GoGold, you can apply for the scholarship. If you earned the Gold Award this year and you’re currently a high school sophomore or junior, plan to apply in your senior year!

Apply March 15 through April 17. Application link will be available March 15. Applicants will be notified of their status in mid-June.

GOLD AWARD DEADLINE: Any Ambassador graduating high school in 2023 must have her Project Proposal submitted no later than July 1, 2023. Once approved, these projects must be implemented. Final Reports, including supplementary documentation, must be completed and submitted via GoGold by Sept. 30, 2023. While Sept. 30, is the absolute cutoff date for Final Reports, it is highly encouraged that girls submit them by Sept. 15, or as soon as possible, to meet the deadline. 

Gold Award Girl Scouts

Issues of the world, meet your match. 

Gold Award Girl Scouts are the dreamers and the doers who take the saying "make the world a better place” to the next level.

The Girl Scout Gold Award is the mark of the truly remarkable - proof that not only can she make a difference, but also that she already has.

Seniors and Ambassadors who earn the Gold Award tackle issues that are dear to them and drive lasting change in their communities and beyond. Think of the Gold Award as a key that can open doors to scholarships, preferred admission tracks for college, and amazing career opportunities!

19_Marcomm_GoldAwardGirlScoutLogo_RGB_300x300
GSSJC's Gold Award
Project Guide
Congratulations to Ariel Zolton, Texas Gold Award Scholarship  Recipient!

For her Gold Award Project, Ariel Zolton worked with eight volunteers on "Food for Thought: Food Allergies 101." The project addressed increasing the awareness of food allergies among teenagers.

Ariel and her volunteers taught educational workshops at two Kingwood-area schools and a 4-H group. The workshops highlighted the myths and misconceptions about food allergies and explained how to keep allergic friends and family safe. During the workshops, a Teal Pumpkin Project was promoted to make Halloween safer for kids with food allergies.  

“I will be pursuing a bachelor's degree in pre-pharmacy/medical biochemistry.  I hope to go on to earn my Doctorate of Pharmacy,” Ariel said.

She'll attend the University of Texas to pursue her dreams. We can’t wait to see how far you go, Ariel!  

Support Ariel and other Texas Gold Award Girl Scouts by buying your Girl Scout affinity license plates at myplates.com

Isabella C
Meet Gold Award Girl Scout Isabella Cantone!

We are proud to announce that GSSJC’s 2022 GSUSA Gold Award Girl Scout is Isabella Cantone. For her project, “Menstrual Cycle Awareness for Swimmers,” Isabella identified that girls were dropping out of competitive swimming because the were uninfomred about how to handle their period weeks while participating in the sport.

Isabella created a movement called Project | Week 4 to empower girls with knowledge about how to handle their menstrual cycles in competitive swimming and how to educate and communicate with their coaches on the issue. She created a website of resources with her pediatrician and nutritionist, which has been shared with a number of competitive swimming teams across the country. She also created an educational pamphlet that girls can share with their coaches and a hand symbol (four fingers) to communicate with their coaches that they need to leave due to their period.

As a recipient, Isabella completed a Gold Award project that: 

• Demonstrated extraordinary leadership. 

• Had a measurable and sustainable impact. 

• Addressed an issue of national and/or global significance. 

I“Many girls locally and nationwide, including states like Alabama and Michigan, have attended the webinar or watched the video to understand how to manage their period while swimming. Coaches and parents also benefited from my project," Isabella said.

Her Gold Award mentor, Bonnie Homier, describes Isabella as an amazing young woman. "Through the Gold Award, she learned so much about herself and strengthened her self-confidence. Bella adjusted her project multiple times to account for the COVID-19 pandemic and the disappointment of her initial team not following through with their promised commitments," Bonnie said. "But these gave Bella the opportunity to learn how to adjust her plan to keep her goal within sight.” 

Isabella will receive: 

• An academic scholarship of $2,000. 
• An official letter of notification. 
• Promotion that helps her reach a broad audience while highlighting the importance and impact of her project.

Isabella will also be on a Movement-wide list. Girls on this list - upon request - may serve as a representative for Girl Scouts through public relations, web/social, speaking engagements, or other related opportunities. 

We can’t wait to see more of Isabella! 

Recent GSUSA Gold Award Girl Scouts and National Gold Award Girl Scouts:

Esha Garg, 2022 GSUSA Gold Award Girl Scout

Abigail Plunkett, 2020 National Gold Award Girl Scout

Susan Soh, 2018 National Young Woman of Distinction

Angela Shipman, 2017 National Young Woman of Distinction

You can pursue your Girl Scout Gold Award if:
 
check_32

You're in high school (ninth through twelfth grade) 
 

check_32

You're registered as a Girl Scout Senior or Girl Scout Ambassador
 

check_32

You have completed two Senior or Ambassador Journeys OR earned the Girl Scout Silver Award and completed a Journey

check_32

You have completed GSSJC's Gold Award Orientation

Girl Scout Gold Award Steps
 
numbers

Identify an issue
 

number1_32

Investigate your issue thoroughly
 

number3_32

Get help and build your team
 

number4_32

Create a plan
 

number5_32

Present your plan and gather feedback 
 

number6_32

Take action
 

number7_32

Educate and inspire
 

New Gold Award Process: GoGold Online

As of January 1, 2019 the Gold Award process has moved to an online platform. To get started, register for your GoGold Online account. This is the first step in writing your Gold Award Project Proposal. Please remember to contact your Gold Award Mentor and work with her on your Project Proposal before you submit your application to the council.

GoGold Online

Building your proposal and writing your final report has never been easier. GoGold will guide you along each of the seven project steps and auto-save your progress. GoGold can also be accessed on smartphones and tablets.

Please keep in mind that in addition to the project proposal and final report, GSSJC has required supplemental forms, which can be found within Step 5 of GoGold. Additionally, your Gold Award Mentor must review each of these documents before you submit to the Review Board. Once the project proposal is reviewed by the Review Board you will be notified by the Gold Award Manager by email either informing you that your project has been approved or asking for necessary revisions. After completion of your project, a Final Report along with additional material uploads (including a required presentation) will be required before final approval of a Gold Award.

Deadlines
Jan. 1 - Feb. 15  Emerald Circle Spring scholarship applications are accepted 
March 31 Deadline for approval of final reports to be invited to the council’s Gold Award Ceremony in May
July 1 Deadline for submission of Project Proposals for graduated high school seniors
Sept. 15 - Nov. 1  Emerald Circle Fall scholarship applications are accepted
Sept. 30 For graduated seniors, Final Reports must be reviewed by your Gold Award Mentor and submitted to council via Go Gold Online by Sept. 30

Please note that for the Emerald Circle Scholarships the Spring application is reserved for those who earn their Gold Award before the Feb 15th application deadline and expect to graduate high school later than that calendar year.  The Fall application opportunity is reserved for those graduating seniors who earned their Gold Award after the Spring application deadline (Feb 15th). 

Forms and Resources
Help

Please keep in mind that your Gold Award Mentor’s job is to make sure you are in compliance with council guidelines and deadlines.  Her goal is for you to be successful! In order for her to help you do that, please be sure to keep your mentor up-to-date with your progress and any speed bumps you run into along the way.

If you have any additional questions regarding Gold Award, please contact the GSSJC Gold Award Manager at goldaward@sjgs.org or 713-292-0300