Taylor Koonce from Dupo has received the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can receive. Taylor completed her Girl Scout Gold Award project during her senior year at Dupo High School in 2013. For her project, Learning Green, Taylor educated people living in her community about environment issues and ways to be eco-friendly. In addition, with the help of her Air Force Junior ROTC unit, she repaired an outdoor classroom that community members use.
Although Taylor said things didn’t always go as planned, everything worked out well in the end. “If you search, there are always people willing to help. And, I learned that while being a leader, sometimes you delegate things and sometimes you need to get down in the dirt with your team.” Taylor also credits the successful completion of her Girl Scout Gold Award project because of help from Michael Conley, John Solomon, AFJROTC Unit IL-941, Sandy Nelson, Kendra Koonce and Michael Koonce.
Taylor has been a Girl Scout for 13 years and received the Girl Scout Trifecta Award for earning her Girl Scout Bronze Award, Girl Scout Silver Award and Girl Scout Gold Award. Taylor plans to attend Michigan State University where she will major in Biosystems Engineering. She is the daughter Kendra and Michael Koonce.
The Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can earn, recognizes a Girl Scout's commitment to excellence as she develops skills and values to meet present and future challenges in her life. To earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, a Girl Scout Senior or Girl Scout Ambassador must design and carry out a project that fulfills a need within a girl’s community, creates change, and is sustainable. The project must be completed with a suggested minimum of 80 hours of work. Only about 6 percent of eligible girls earn the prestigious Gold Award.
