Girl Scout Praises Prairie Impact
Kaitlyn Schmidt-Rundell from Iowa City, Iowa, has achieved the Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can earn, for developing prairie education for her community. When Schmidt-Rundell realized many community members did not understand the value of local prairies, she created opportunities for engaging with the landscape.
“Many prairies have already been destroyed, and there aren't many natural prairies left in the world. This causes there to be fewer prairies for people to see and for them to understand how they can impact our environment,” says the Gold Award Girl Scout.
Schmidt-Rundell created eight signs for the prairie at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church with information about the basics of prairies, the plants and wildlife living in the ecosystem, and the impact prairies make on our local environment. To ensure community members developed an appreciation for their environment, she led pre and post-surveys for people exploring the land. After engaging with the signs, she found that people realized how important every plant and animal species is to our environment.
Schmidt-Rundell graduated from high school in May of 2023 and is now attending the University of Iowa and enrolled in the pre-dental program with a major in human physiology and a minor in Spanish.
Gold Award Girl Scouts become innovative problem-solvers, empathetic leaders, confident public speakers, and focused project managers. They learn resourcefulness, tenacity, and decision-making skills, giving them an edge personally and professionally. As they take action to transform their communities, Gold Award Girl Scouts gain tangible skills and prove they’re the leaders our world needs.
According to recent research, Gold Award Girl Scouts are more likely to fill leadership roles at work and in their personal lives and are more civically engaged than their non-Girl Scout peers. Eighty-seven percent (87%) of Gold Award Girl Scouts agree that earning their Gold Award gave them skills that help them succeed professionally. Seventy-two percent (72%) said earning their Gold Award helped them get a scholarship. Changing the world doesn’t end when a Girl Scout earns her Gold Award. Ninety-nine percent (99%) of Gold Award Girl Scout alums take on leadership roles in their everyday lives.
