Earning the Girl Scout Gold Award required Emily O’Neill ’27 to dedicate more than 80 hours to designing and carrying out a sustainable service initiative, though in reality, she invested nearly 100 hours over two years to bring her vision to life. Her project centered on improving the bathrooms at The Wardlaw+Hartridge School to ensure they are welcoming, accessible and reflective of the community’s core values.
“For my project I focused on the bathrooms here at school and making them a more equal and welcoming environment,” said Emily, a proud W+H lifer who is active in the arts and athletics as a performer and three-sport athlete.
Her work unfolded in three interconnected phases, each demanding collaboration and persistence. First, Emily met with school administrators to explore both immediate and long-term strategies to ensure sufficient bathroom access for all students. She then partnered with the maintenance team to refresh existing spaces, organizing efforts that included repainting and adding uplifting messaging decals. Finally, she worked alongside the school’s DEIB committee to develop a clearer system for students to share concerns and receive meaningful feedback.
“I joined forces with the DEIB committee to figure out a way for students to communicate what they think needs to change and also hear back to know that they are being listened to,” said Emily, who officially achieved Gold Award status after presenting her completed project to her local Girl Scout council.
For Emily, the most gratifying moments came as each phase reached completion.
“Whenever a task was completed I could see the difference that I was making and how it affected my community,” she reflected. “That was so rewarding because it affirmed my leadership skills and allowed me to use what I had learned through my education and Girl Scouts to do something meaningful to me and to others.”
She chose to focus her efforts on the school community because of the deep connection she feels to it: “This school has given me so much I wanted my chance to leave a legacy and make a difference.”
The journey was not without obstacles: coordinating schedules, organizing meetings and ensuring the right voices were included proved challenging, but the experience strengthened her resolve and leadership abilities.
Having completed the Bronze, Silver and now Gold Awards, Emily has also earned the Girl Scout Changemaker Award, a distinction that underscores her sustained commitment to service and impact. The Girl Scout Gold Award is equivalent in prestige, effort and high-level leadership to the Boys Scouts of America Eagle Scout Rank. Reaching the Gold Award milestone, Emily said, is especially meaningful after years of dedication: achieving a long-held goal that represents both personal growth and lasting contribution.