Lakshanya Rajaganapathi earned her Girl Scout Gold Award for her project, “Changing the Course of Media: Inspiring Skills of Media Literacy.” She was celebrated alongside 54 other Girl Scouts at Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania’s 2023 Gold Award Ceremony. The following is the speech she recited at the ceremony.
“Get your Savannah Smiles—lemon and so much more,” my best friend and I would sing when we would have our annual cookie sale at Giant Eagle with our troop. I remember Thin Mints would always be the first to sell out, so my friends and I would have to get creative to sell the Savannah Smiles (or we would just buy them and eat them).
I have been a Girl Scout since I was in Kindergarten and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that Samoas and Thin Mints are the superior cookies . . . I’m kidding.
Girl Scouts has taught me that you need resilience and creativity, not just one or the other (especially when it comes to selling cookies), but it has also shown me the power of being a woman who strives to help others and develop her leadership skills.
Oftentimes throughout middle and high school, I would find myself being the only girl in certain clubs and felt like quitting. My dad would always come back to the Girl Scout values and remind me that I can do anything I set my mind to. It’s funny, at the time, I really didn’t see how holding up three fingers at the beginning of our meetings could have such a tremendous impact down the road. I now am in a leadership position in all of the clubs where I was the only girl, and it just goes to show how if you show love and passion, you can achieve all you want.
From this, I was really inspired to take on the challenge of pursuing the Girl Scout Gold Award. My project is called, “Changing the Course of Media: Inspiring Skills of Media Literacy.”
I’m sure most of our parents have said, “Don’t watch that,” “Let me check your phone,” and in school, we’ve heard, “And remember kids, Billy the Safety Robot says ‘don’t give out personal information.’” This may seem like a laughing matter, but these words are very important in today’s world since we are influenced so much by media. Children of all ages are impacted and oftentimes, the rate at which media literacy is spread is slower than the rate at which information is thrown at them. I would read stories of negative turns that children would have on Snapchat and how their whole world would be flipped upside down.
I partnered with my local library, school, and a school in India to hold seminars to teach skills on effective ways to independently navigate through media, reflect on personal experiences with audience members, and dive into the connection between social media and mental health.
One of my favorite moments was when a student asked, “How can Instagram and Snapchat be bad?” We then walked through this topic and connected it to how it could be like receiving a bad present. I also created a website to allow students to give their own tips on media literacy and continue to grow their media literacy skills. At my local middle school, I created a media literacy council so that the students can also take part in this important cause.
Now that I am a Gold Award Girl Scout, my favorite moment where I could truly see the impact of my project was when the students were able to give me tips and tricks on how to navigate safely online. Reflecting on this incredible journey, I see just how much Girl Scouts has had such a positive impact and has allowed me to grow into the strong, independent woman that I am today. I hope to use the Girl Scout Law and continue to inspire the next generation of fantastic Girl Scouts!
GSWPA 