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15 Miami-Dade Young Women Earn Girl Scout Gold Award, Create Sustainable Change in Their Communities
Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida proudly announces that 15 Miami-Dade Girls have earned the Gold Award this year. These honorees were recently recognized by GSTF surrounded by community leaders, alumni and family at the 2025 Highest Awards Ceremony, held Sunday, June 8 at the FIU Wertheim Performing Arts Center.
The Gold Award is the highest achievement a Girl Scout can earn, available to girls in high school who create sustainable changes in a community or world issue. These young women spent a combined 1,700 hours addressing social issues that include empowering middle-school aged girls to overcome self-doubt; teaching how to spot misinformation online and better understand media; to a creative way to advance youth literacy and emotional regulation; using drama therapy to support youth mental health; and harnessing the power of art to teach kindness.
“These are the changemakers, the leaders of our community. Our Girl Scouts are setting out to tackle real issues with courage, creativity, and commitment. It takes hard work and passion to be a Gold Award Girl Scout,” said Chelsea Wilkerson, CEO of Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida.
Seven of these Girl Scouts were also nominated for the prestigious Silver Knight Award presented by The Miami Herald. Here are some of the outstanding young women and their projects.
Alyssa Brown developed Talking to Mona sparked by personal challenge. It promotes a successful way to help elementary students process emotions through letters written to stuffed animals. Alyssa built a full digital platform to support teachers, track notes, and share resources on emotional regulation, combining creativity and compassion with real-world impact. Talking to Mona has reached over 350+ students so far and is expanding to more schools throughout Miami-Dade. Alyssa received a Silver Knight Honorable Mention in the Digital and Interactive Media category.
Angelina Carrasco’s artistic creativity is making a lasting difference in our community. Be the Drop That Starts the Ripple uses the power of art to spark kindness and connection. From painting a permanent mural at the Miami Springs Recreation Center to organizing kindness rock painting events, Angelina proves that art isn’t just something you hang, it’s something you live.
Valentina Lanza created a non-profit organization called Food is Fuel addressing eating disorders amongst athletes created by unrealistic body standards. Valentina saw this was encouraged by coaches and created low self-esteem among the athletic community. Her efforts to generate awareness included seminars, social media, and hosting food stands. Valentina received a Silver Knight Honorable Mention in Journalism.
Sara Paredes is empowering the next generation of confident young women. Through her Gold Award initiative, The No Apologies Project, Sara developed a six-module curriculum designed to help middle school girls find their voice, shed self-doubt, and step into leadership roles with confidence. From monthly after-school sessions to a powerful social media campaign, her work has already reached 50+ students at Palmetto Middle. She’s also worked with local homeless shelter Chapman Partnership to empower women experiencing homelessness.
Aubrey Rosenhaus Inspired by personal loss, Aubrey created Arts 4 Change Inc. to honor her friend’s legacy and turn pain into purpose. The nonprofit uses drama therapy to support youth mental health. What began as her Girl Scout Gold Award project has grown into a life-changing initiative that’s impacted over 1,950 individuals and empowered more than 215 students through free acting classes, performances, and workshops. Aubrey was also recognized as a finalist for the 2024 Badass Woman of the Year Award in the Non-Profit category—the youngest nominee of them all.
Also recognized were recipients of the Silver Award, 53 Girl Scout Cadettes who poured over 2,900 service hours into bettering their community.
GSTF is grateful to Gold Award scholarship providers, Amazon, Jackson Health System, José Milton Foundation, and Nicklaus Children’s Health System, and Highest Awards Ceremony guest speakers Michelle Johnson, Faith and Community Leadership Manager Equity and Engagement for the Miami-Dade County Office of the Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, and Liane Sippin, a Girl Scout Alum and Program Director in FIU’s Division of Strategic Communications, Government, and External Affairs.
For more information on the impact of Girl Scouts and the Gold Award visit https://www.girlscouts.org/goldaward
