“When I started this project, I had never done something as big as this before. I didn’t know what it was going to look like, nor was I certain that I would find my demographic. To say that I have grown and overcome these obstacles while doing this project would be an understatement; being willing to learn from others in order to share what I was passionate about allowed me to create something truly empowering.” —Gold Award Girl Scout Lily Sassani
Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania would like to congratulate Lily Sassani, Gold Award Girl Scout of Westmoreland County Troop 26605, who was selected as the recipient of the Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) Gold Award Scholarship for our council! The GSUSA Gold Award Scholarship recognizes one outstanding Gold Award Girl Scout per council with a $5,000 academic scholarship, whose project demonstrated measurable and sustainable impact while addressing an issue of national and/or global significance.
Gold Award Girl Scout Lily Sassani, a recent graduate of Burrell High School, earned her Gold Award for her project “Holocaust Education Patch Program.”
Her passion for history and drive to connect the Jewish and Girl Scout communities led her to the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh, where director Emily Loeb and associate Julia Gaetano mentored her in the process of developing the patch program. With their guidance, Lily wrote the curriculum, designed the patch, and conducted crucial interviews for the curriculum with Holocaust survivor Edith Leuchter and her daughter Debbie Leuchter-Steuber, as well as British author and activist Janie Hampton.
The Holocaust Center was awarded grants from the Jewish Women’s Foundation of Greater Pittsburgh to support the development of the patch. Within the first month of launching the program, over 350 troop leaders from around the world have inquired about how their troops can earn the patch.
Lily works to empower the voices of women and children who protected humanity during the Holocaust, and she is inspiring people to empathize and to create solidarity with others for the greater good. She would like to thank all who have helped and supported her in any way in the creation of this patch.
“I learned what it meant to be a leader in this undertaking by fully engrossing myself in the inspirational stories I had to share, and knowing the importance of having an incredible team to help me achieve my goals.”
She accepted her scholarship via video.
Congratulations, Lily, on your remarkable achievement and for serving as a role model to Girl Scouts everywhere!
If you are interested in earning the Holocaust Education patch, you can download the program guide below!
GSWPA 