Andover Girl Scout Gold Award Recipient Earns Scholarship

ANDOVER, MA — An Andover student has been selected to receive a $5,000 scholarship from Girl Scouts of the USA. Natalia Salinas won a Gold Award for her project addressing the issue of underrepresentation of Latinas in STEM-related occupations, according to a statement.

Natalia dedicated her Girl Scout Gold Award project to creating new opportunities to improve how young Latinas are exposed to STEM principles during middle school and developed a STEM literacy out-of-school program for sixth-to-eighth graders in Lawrence.

She developed programs held during January, February, and March 2023 that reached between 75 and 90 children through live workshops and an online course.

“Our organization has a lengthy track record of innovation in extracurricular STEM education, and Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts is thrilled to honor Natalia’s focus on such an important issue within our community,” Barb Fortier, CEO of Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts, said in a statement. “As many STEM-related careers continue to struggle with diversity, Ms. Salinas set out to make a real impact and to alter middle-school girls' perceptions of self and science, as well as their interest in education and careers.”

Gold Award Girl Scouts "make positive impacts on their local communities by identifying and addressing pressing issues," according to a statement. "They seek to find or create solutions that address real-life problems such as environmental sustainability, racial justice, mental and physical well-being, and gender inequality in STEM."

For more information on Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts, visit www.gsema.org.