Aryana Patel of Roslyn Heights is one of 51 local Girl Scouts who won the Girl Scout Gold Award of 2024. To become a member of the Girl Scout Gold Award class, Girl Scouts must positively impact their community by advocating for causes they care about.

“Each Girl Scout who won her Gold Award this year has demonstrated remarkable resilience, dedication and passion in developing and implementing a plan to address a societal challenge,” said Rande Bynum, CEO of the Girl Scouts of Nassau County. “We are immensely proud and impressed by each of them for achieving their goals and making a lasting impact on their communities. Their dedication is undeniable and their efforts have positively impacted countless lives.”

The girls begin their journey to the Gold Award by identifying a civic or social issue that is important to them.

“This year, our Girl Scouts have addressed important issues such as environmental justice and sustainability, mental and emotional health, gender equality in sports and more. We congratulate each of them on their significant contributions,” said Bynum.

The Girl Scout then assembles a team to support her project, the goal of which is to make a positive impact on her community.

Gold Award projects are organized to continue after the award is received. This can be done by establishing nonprofit organizations, publishing books for school libraries, running classes that continue for years to come, or other initiatives to create lasting change.

Patel’s Gold Award mission is to raise awareness of life-threatening food allergies, a topic close to her heart as her brother was diagnosed with severe allergies.

She worked with her high school’s assistant principal to design allergy warnings and put them on every classroom door. Patel’s project helps ease the worries of students with allergies by alerting their peers to certain foods that are not allowed to be consumed there.

In addition, Patel created a website and presentation with information on the most common food allergies and allergies to other foods according to the FDA, a helpful list of allergy-friendly food brands, and information on what to do if you have an allergic reaction. Her materials and slideshows were included in her high school’s annual health curriculum.

Through this process, Gold Award Girl Scouts learn resourcefulness, tenacity and decision-making skills that give them an advantage personally and professionally.

According to a study by the Girl Scouts of Nassau County, Girl Scouts with the Gold Award are more likely to assume leadership roles in their professional and personal lives and to be more civically engaged than their non-Girl Scout peers.

Girls in preschool through high school can start Girl Scouts at any age. To join or volunteer, visit www.gsnc.org/join.