Girl Scout Gold Award winners create change in their communities
Alyssa Brown, a Girl Scout from Troop 361, is the creator of “Talking to Mona,” an impactful project that uses writing, drawing, and a classroom confidant — a stuffed animal — to help elementary school students process emotions.
Alyssa, a recent graduate of Terra Environmental Research Institute, was inspired by her own personal challenges to help children feel heard.
Through letters they write to their chosen stuffed animal, who writes back with “help” from a teacher, the children develop emotional literacy.
The project was originally launched as Alyssa’s Girl Scout Gold Award project, but now “Talking to Mona” has reached more than 350 students and is expanding to more schools throughout Miami-Dade County.
Alyssa built a full digital platform to support teachers, track notes and share resources on emotion.
She is one of 15 Miami-Dade Girl Scouts to have earned the Girl Scout Gold Award this year. All honorees were recognized by community leaders, Girl Scout alumni and family at the 2025 Highest Awards Ceremony.
“These are the changemakers, the leaders of our community,” said Chelsea Wilkerson, CEO of Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida.
“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,” Wilkerson said.
Seven of these Girl Scouts were also nominated for the prestigious Silver Knight Award presented by The Miami Herald. Alyssa received a Silver Knight Honorable Mention in the Digital and Interactive Media category.
Some of the other Gold Award honorees include Angelina Carrasco, who uses artistic creativity through “Be the Drop That Starts the Ripple” to spark kindness and connection; and Valentina Lanza, who created “Food is Fuel,” to address eating disorders among athletes created by unrealistic body standards. Valentina received a Silver Knight Honorable Mention in the Journalism category.
Honoree Sara Paredes created “The No Apologies Project,” a six-module curriculum designed to help middle school girls find their voice, shed self-doubt and step into leadership roles with confidence.
Honoree Aubrey Rosenhaus was inspired by personal loss to create “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. The project has grown into a life-changing initiative that has affected more than 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.
The Gold Award, the highest achievement a Girl Scout can earn, is available to girls in high school who create sustainable changes in a community or world issue.
Also recognized and honored at the ceremony were 53 recipients of the Silver Award. These Girl Scout Cadettes completed more than 2,900 service hours to better their communities.
Learn more, donate and get involved at hwww.girlscoutsfl.org/
BECOME AN AUDUBON AMBASSADOR
Field trips are back by popular demand, and this year the award-winning Tropical Audubon Ambassador Program will have a new session that focuses on our imperiled species including the Florida panther.
South Floridians who love the natural world and would like to foster “conservation through community” can become more engaged, educated and effective environmental advocates through this free education series. The program, Sept. 18 through Oct. 30, is open to anyone 18 and older, newcomers and past graduates.
The Zoom format is 6-7:30 p.m. Thursdays and allows aspiring ambassadors remote flexibility and the ease of engaging in Q&A during online sessions. Recorded versions of the meetings will also be available to registered participants.
Participants will receive advocacy training from environmental experts and gain an in-depth knowledge of our region’s cornerstone ecosystems: The Everglades, Biscayne Bay, Pine Rocklands and Tropical Hardwood Hammocks. The planned field trips will bring lessons to life.
“The end goal is to empower graduates to activate their ‘Tropical Audubon Ambassador’ education on behalf of South Florida’s wild places and the indigenous wildlife who inhabit them,” said Ana Lima, Tropical Audubon Society communications director.
Program topics will be explored with TAS Education Director DJ Mlodozeniec, who joined Tropical Audubon Society in March 2025 as education director.
Aspiring ambassadors will also benefit from the expertise of regional environmental experts who guest-anchor each session.
The program is designed to complement the TAS mission and methods to conserve and restore South Florida ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife and their habitats, with outreach centered around education and advocacy.
Registration deadline is Aug. 29. Sign up at tropicalaudubon.org/ambassador
Write to ChristinaMMayo@gmail.com with news for this column.