Ep 12 Emma Kessner STEM Reuse Recycle Portable Race Track Girl Scout Gold Award Project Find more resources at heartsofgoldpodcast.com Emma shares about her portable race track made from recycled materials, the 2019 Rose Parade Tournament Troop, STEM, h
Hearts Of Gold - Reflections from Gold Award Girl Scouts
Release Date: 03/07/2019
Ep 149 From Art to Action: A Girl Scout's Journey to Combat Single-Use Plastics
Hearts Of Gold - Reflections from Gold Award Girl Scouts
Full transcription available at Jackie shares her inspiring journey of earning the Girl Scout Gold Award through her project titled "Single-Use Less Plastic." She discusses her advocacy against single-use plastic pollution, highlighting the importance of public policy, education, and art in driving change. Jackie reflects on how the COVID-19 lockdown prompted her to notice the overwhelming amount of plastic waste generated by her family, leading her to participate in the Plastic Free July challenge. She created an art curriculum inspired by artist Aurora Robson, teaching students to make...
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Ep 148 Empowering Neurodiversity: Piya's Journey to the Girl Scout Gold Award
Hearts Of Gold - Reflections from Gold Award Girl Scouts
Full transcription available at http://heartsofgoldpodcast.com/ Piya's project focused on increasing education and awareness around neurodiversity advocacy, a topic that is close to her heart. She began by founding her school's first neurodiversity affinity group, creating a safe space for neurodivergent youth. Piya shared her journey of developing workshops and assemblies for both her peers and teachers, emphasizing the importance of updated training on neurodiversity. With the support of her school's learning support team and feedback from neurodivergent students, she was able to...
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Ep 147 Empowering Voices: Mikenna and the Silver Stories Podcast
Hearts Of Gold - Reflections from Gold Award Girl Scouts
Full transcription available at http://heartsofgoldpodcast.com/ Mikenna shares how she created a platform to record and share the authentic stories of seniors in her community, which she then uploaded to YouTube and a dedicated website. She also made personalized booklets for each senior interviewed, ensuring they had a tangible copy of their story. Mikenna's journey began with her long-standing visits to a local nursing home, where she built meaningful relationships with the residents. Her project expanded beyond her initial nursing home to include another facility, capturing a diverse...
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Ep 146 Healing Through Toys: Sammie's Journey to Support Uvalde Survivors
Hearts Of Gold - Reflections from Gold Award Girl Scouts
Full transcription available at http://heartsofgoldpodcast.com/ Sammie, a remarkable Girl Scout who shares her journey of earning the prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award. Sammie's project, Sammy's Toy Drive, was inspired by the tragic shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Initially starting as a simple toy drive, it evolved into a full-fledged nonprofit organization aimed at supporting survivors of gun violence through healing events and community building. Sammie detailed the emotional and logistical challenges she faced, including the initial rejection of her first project...
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Ep 145 Creating Historic Lamont: Amelia's Gold Award Journey
Hearts Of Gold - Reflections from Gold Award Girl Scouts
Full transcription available at http://heartsofgoldpodcast.com/ Amelia developed an app called Historic Lamont, a location-aware walking tour app that highlights the hidden historical gems of her hometown, Lamont, a suburb of Chicago. Inspired by a limited-availability walking tour from the Lamont Historical Society, Amelia wanted to make local history more accessible to everyone in her community. Amelia shared fascinating historical facts she uncovered, such as the local metro station witnessing President Lincoln's funeral train and being a site of the Lamont Massacre. She detailed the...
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Ep 144 Building United Communities: Camilla's Gold Award Project
Hearts Of Gold - Reflections from Gold Award Girl Scouts
Full transcription available at http://heartsofgoldpodcast.com/ Camilla's project aims to build more united communities by educating people about different Asian cultures through workshops, YouTube vlogs, and a beautifully illustrated book. Camilla shared that her project was prompted by the rise in Asian hate crimes during the pandemic, which motivated her to use education as a tool to foster understanding and empathy. She detailed the three components of her project: interactive workshops at YMCA branches, vlogs exploring various Asian communities in Los Angeles, and her book, which...
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Ep 143 - Solving Overcrowded Shelters: Neha's Gold Award Journey
Hearts Of Gold - Reflections from Gold Award Girl Scouts
Full transcription available at http://heartsofgoldpodcast.com/ Neha's project, centered around dogs and the issue of overcrowded shelters, led her to create a nonprofit called Pawprints. The nonprofit focuses on raising awareness about the importance of microchipping and GPS tracking collars to prevent dogs from getting lost and ending up in shelters. Neha shared her personal connection to the project, including her experience rescuing her dog Aggie, who was saved from euthanasia at an overcrowded shelter. She discussed the educational materials she created, which include information...
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Ep 142 Championing Bird Conservation: Adoriam's Gold Award Journey
Hearts Of Gold - Reflections from Gold Award Girl Scouts
Full transcription available at http://heartsofgoldpodcast.com/ Adoriam, a passionate Girl Scout, shares her inspiring journey of earning the Girl Scout Gold Award. Adoriam’s project focused on addressing the declining bird population in Houston, a city that ranks as the second worst in America for migratory birds. Through her project, she aimed to educate the community about the importance of being bird-friendly by conducting workshops, creating videos, and providing resources. Adoriam’s interest in conservation was sparked by her involvement in the Glenn Miller Agriculture...
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Ep 141 Revamping Animal Shelter Trails: Savannah's Gold Award Journey
Hearts Of Gold - Reflections from Gold Award Girl Scouts
Full transcription available at http://heartsofgoldpodcast.com/ Savannah, a dedicated Girl Scout who shared her journey of earning the prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award. Savannah's project focused on improving the trails at her local animal shelter. She identified the need for better-marked trails to help volunteers and visitors navigate the area more easily. Her project involved cleaning up existing trails, adding new ones, naming them, and creating a detailed map with mileage information. She also developed a pamphlet for new volunteers to help them understand the shelter's rules and...
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Ep 140 Empowering Survivors: Elizabeth's Gold Award Project on Abuse Awareness
Hearts Of Gold - Reflections from Gold Award Girl Scouts
Full transcription available at http://heartsofgoldpodcast.com/ We had the pleasure of speaking with Elizabeth, a freshman in college who recently completed her Girl Scout Gold Award project. Elizabeth's project, titled "Wisdom Wings," aims to support survivors of sexual abuse by providing care packages to police stations. These packages include stress toys, journals, pens, and informational pamphlets to help victims navigate the reporting process. Elizabeth shared her personal connection to the project, revealing her own experience with abuse as a child and the challenges she faced in...
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Emma shares about her portable race track made from recycled materials, the 2019 Rose Parade Tournament Troop, STEM, her Robotics team, and much more!
More about Emma
Emma Kessner is a high-school senior at Marlborough School in Los Angeles. She is a Girl Scout Ambassador who recently earned her Girl Scout Gold Award by working with the Culver City reDiscover Center, an organization that promotes using one’s imagination to tinker with reused materials. In designing and building a portable racetrack and curriculum, she introduced younger children to STEM in a fun and engaging way, and her project will be utilized by as many as 300 students per year in 11 schools per semester around the Los Angeles area.
In addition to her 12-year Girl Scout career, she has been a part of her school’s robotics team for five years, and is currently the Captain. In 2017, she accompanied her team as they competed and won an award at the FIRST World Championship in Houston, Texas. She has also founded a program dedicated to giving students real-world work experience in a familiar environment by working and doing inventory at the new campus Café, and is a member of the California Scholarship Federation. She plans to attend college in the fall, and hopes to continue being active in community service by mentoring future female leaders interested in STEM.
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/emma-kessner
reDiscover Center is rediscovercenter.org
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