I have been a part of Girl Scouts for 10 years where I have volunteered with various organizations looking to make the world a better place. I have dedicated so much of my time to my community because every time I help someone with planting trees, cleaning a protected area, teaching someone, accompanying the elder, and so much more I can see the impact I have made on their lives. I see it with a smile, the thank you, and the visual cleanness of the place. When I volunteered with Fish and Wildlife Service by planting trees in an abandoned lot where people would take hikes to close by. Now every time I pass through the freeway I am able to see that once abandoned lot now full of trees and how full of green it is. Taking care of the environment is an important aspect of also taking care of the world.  This is the aspect that I decided to focus on within Girl Scouts and outside of it.

Girl Scouts is a youth organization that encourages girls to work with their fellow girl scouts and organizations to build a better world as they discover their strengths and meet new challenges. Every Girl Scout is able to learn a lot about their community in various ways but especially when the time comes to earn either the Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award. These three awards require a Girl Scout to find a problem they want to address and make a difference in their community by taking action.

  My biggest achievement has been earning my Girl Scout Gold Award. It is the highest achievement a Girl Scout can earn, only about 5% of Girl Scouts are approved, able to complete, and finally receive this award. To earn the award a Girl Scout must first find an issue they are passionate about, then they must figure out a long-lasting solution and the components needed to complete it. After that, they submit a proposal to the Girl Scout Gold Award committee to wait for approval to even begin the project. This is a long process as many times there is a need to adjust and fix certain aspects in order to receive approval. Once approved the Girl Scout can begin to carry out the plan, but it does not end there once completing your proposed project you must compile every aspect within it to fill out the final application. This application can be rejected a number of times due to various reasons, such as not fulfilling the minimum 80-hour commitment, the expected longevity of the solution, or the funding methods. I was able to fulfill all of that and more.

 I earned my Gold Award by creating and executing a summer camp for my community aimed at kids ages 7-12 years old. I was inspired to tackle the issue of electronic use when noticing how often children spent time on their electronics and missed out on the wonders present in their environment and community. I developed the project “Embrace our Community” in the city of San Ysidro, which worked to promote children to put their electronic devices aside. I developed a telephone brochure, implemented conferences, and workshops, and filmed a video to engage and educate audiences. In order to achieve my goal I led over 25 free workshops and was able to reach over 500 kids ages 7-12. In these workshops, I encouraged students to use their libraries, parks, and other outdoor recreation facilities. Students learned about the diverse support services and resources available to them. This was especially vital for the community I worked for as most are children of low-income immigrant parents, knowing what resources, programs, and facilities are out there to support their success is important. My parents experienced this themselves and by looking for and using the various resources in their community they were able to support me through high school and where I am now applying to one of the most prestigious universities. Overall I dedicated about 200 hours of work to solve this issue of the cycle of poverty and hidden opportunities. It was a meaningful experience as I learned about my ability to lead projects like this as well as develop my passion for community work, one that I wish to pursue in my career.

The Soroptimist International of Coronado Service Award scholarship would help me continue to provide a lasting impact in my community. Receiving this scholarship would help me immensely in my journey by offsetting any loans I would need to take for my undergraduate tuition and university fees.

Congratulations to Lucia from Soroptimist of Coronado

Lucia will donate part of her monetary award to the San Diego Civic Youth Ballet.