Eastern Missouri Gold Award Girl Scouts Awarded Changemaker Scholarships
February 13, 2023
Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri is pleased to announce the award of $5,000 higher education scholarships to three regional Gold Award Girl Scouts. Coumba Diallo, Mira Iyer and Gracie Steinmeyer will be recognized at the Girl Scout Council’s signature fundraiser, Dessert First, on Thursday, February 23. Tickets are still available, and all proceeds benefit the leadership development of eastern Missouri Girl Scouts like Gold Awardees Diallo, Iyer and Steinmeyer.
Coumba Diallo, 2023 Awardee, Changemaker Scholarship made possible by Laurna Godwin in memory of Corrynne Godwin.
Diallo, a freshman at Tufts University, saw an opportunity to support the mental health of her peers and make a positive impact in her community to earn her Gold Award. Diallo partnered with the Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition to provide a creative outlet for teens in foster care to promote expression and mental health stability. Diallo began by collecting art supplies, writing art prompts on cards, and assembling 150 art kits. She then coordinated with teaching artists and facilitated ten virtual painting workshops with children in Saint-Louis, Senegal. Finally, Diallo invited teens from both Saint Louis, Missouri and Saint-Louis, Senegal to submit their artwork for a virtual exhibition that she organized for the public. Through her project, Diallo reached more than 100 teens and provided them with tools for self-expression. Diallo provided an instructional guidebook to the Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition to continue assembling and handing out her art kits to ensure her project will continue in the future.
Mira Iyer, 2023 Awardee, Changemaker Scholarship made possible by Penny Pennington and Michael Fidler in honor of every girl making her mark on the world!
After reading the nutrition label for her favorite and seemingly healthy snacks, like protein bars and veggie chips, Iyer, a senior at Rockwood Summit High School, realized a large amount of sugar and preservatives in these foods. Recognizing that these snacks are marketed to busy teens, Iyer decided to take action and combat the issue of unhealthy snacking among her peers. Iyer committed more than 213 hours to develop her app, CHOMP, an innovative nutrition app created for users to understand better their bodies and the foods they eat. Iyer developed her app to ensure an easy-to-use interface and utilized unintimidating nutritional terminology to help teenagers understand their bodies and process the foods they eat daily. Iyer worked with a local SSM Hospital dietician, who provided knowledge and guidance, so the app better equips users with the tools to read nutrition labels and choose healthier snack options.
Gracie Steinmeyer, 2023 Awardee, Changemaker Scholarship made possible by the William R. Orthwein and Laura Rand Orthwein Foundation.
The evening’s third scholarship recipient, Steinmeyer, a senior at Rockwood Summit High School, is a nine-year Girl Scout Robotics team member and used her passions to earn her Girl Scout Gold Award. Steinmeyer recognized first-hand the need for more in-depth programming tutorials. After advancing to the FIRST® Tech Challenge (FTC), Steinmeyer and her team struggled to find comprehensive tutorials on Java programming. So, she filmed five tutorial videos on how to set up and program for FTC Robotics teams. Steinmeyer then hosted a workshop for more than 20 robotics teams which covered TensorFlow software and how to program with machine learning. She also visited three elementary schools to present FTC demo bots and other STEM activities to more than 80 students. Steinmeyer’s videos have generated more than 14,000 views on YouTube. Steinmeyer has recruited a local robotics team and has shared her video tutorial instructions so they can continue creating their programming videos. Since completing her project, Steinmeyer has organized three additional STEM days and created three tutorial videos.
When:
6-9 pm on Thursday, February 23, 2023
Where:
The Chase Park Plaza Royal Sonesta
212 N Kingshighway Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63108
To learn more about Dessert First, visit girlscoutsem.org/dessertfirst.
