This year, three local Peoria girls have received the Gold Award, the highest honor in Girl Scouting. The prestigious Gold Award is presented to girls in grades 9 through 12 who have worked to address relevant local or national issues.
Emily Coronado
Emily created a mural at Centennial High School dedicated to performing and visual arts to encourage students to get involved in these programs. Emily spoke with students of all grades to communicate her mural's message, encouraging them to participate in the arts while emphasizing the benefits. After she completed the mural, the school saw an increase in the arts and drama clubs. Emily, a Girl Scout of seven years, is a Centennial High School graduate and attends Glendale Community College, where she studies fine arts illustration.
Rachel Leppla
Rachel created her Gold Award project to spread awareness about sustainable energy and how the use of energy affects the world. Rachel researched and created an online platform to share her findings with the local community. She ensured her research was accessible to young audiences to help them understand sustainable and clean energy. Rachel, who spent 12 years in Girl Scouts, is now using her leadership and communication skills to pursue degrees in English and Journalism/Mass Communications at Arizona State University.
Claire Xu
Drawing inspiration from her long-time experience in music as a piano and flute player—and lovely memories of performing for her grandparents—Claire created “Music for Community,” a bi-weekly club that performs monthly recitals at senior living facilities. During the project, thanks to Claire's encouragement and organizational skills, the impactful club gained 26 members across 13 different instruments and held 15 club performances at eight retirement homes across the Valley. With 11 years in Scouting, Claire attends Mountain Ridge High School and plans to study economics or business administration.