Windham teen chosen for national Gold Award Girl Scout scholarship
Girl Scouts of the USA name Sarah Zachas as the only recipient in NH, VT for honor
July 01, 2024
WINDHAM, NH – Gold Award Girl Scout Sarah Zachas of Windham has been awarded a $5,000 scholarship by Girl Scouts of the USA, thanks to her work building a pollinator garden at Moeckel Pond and educating the public about the need to protect pollinators.
Zachas, 18, is the only Girl Scout in New Hampshire or Vermont to receive this scholarship, with one awarded to each of the national organization’s 112 councils.
“We applaud you for your extraordinary leadership,” said Bonnie Barczykowski, chief executive officer of GSUSA, in a letter to Zachas. “Your outstanding Gold Award project, ‘Pollinators on the Pond,’ demonstrates measurable and sustainable impact and addresses an issue of national and/or global significance, proving that Girl Scouts of courage, confidence, and character truly do make the world a better place. Your accomplishments will endure for generations to come and serve as a powerful example of Girl Scouting in action.”
“I'm so grateful for this scholarship from GSUSA,” said Zachas, “and for all the people that helped with my project, especially Diane Carpenter of the Windham Endowment for Community Advancement. I look forward to putting this towards my biology studies in college."
Zachas completed 13 years as a Girl Scout and recently graduated with honors from Windham High School. Her Gold Award project has inspired her to learn more about biology and environmental science. She plans to attend the University of Connecticut in the fall
Gold Award Girl Scouts don’t just change the world for the better, they change it for good. The Gold Award is earned by girls in grades 9–12 who demonstrate extraordinary leadership in developing sustainable solutions to local, national, and global challenges. Since 1912, Girl Scouts have answered the call to drive lasting, impactful change. They earn college scholarships, demonstrate high educational and career outcomes, and are active in their communities.
About the Girl Scout Gold Award
- Gold Award Girl Scouts on average spend one to two years on their project.
- A Gold Award project must be sustainable after the girl’s involvement ends.
- The average age of Gold Award Girl Scouts is 17.
- Since 1916, more than 1 million girls have earned the Gold Award or its equivalent.
- Gold Award Girl Scouts are entitled to enlist at a higher pay grade when they join the military.
- University research indicates that noting you are a Gold Award Girl Scout on a college application is influential in the admissions decision-making process.
- Eighteen young women from New Hampshire and Vermont earned their Gold Award in the 2023-2024 membership year as part of Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains.
- The Girl Scout Gold Award is the mark of the truly remarkable.
We Are Girl Scouts
Girl Scouts bring their dreams to life and work together to build a better world. Through programs from coast to coast, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges—whether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike or advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends. Backed by trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and millions of alums, Girl Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them. To join us, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, visit girlscouts.org.
Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains serves girls throughout New Hampshire and Vermont through volunteer-run troops, events, and virtual programs. Visit www.girlscoutsgwm.org to learn more.
