Carmel Valley Girl Scouts earn highest honor

Girl Scout Ambassadors Samantha Griffith and Michelle Temby, both Carmel Valley residents and 2016 graduates of Torrey Pines High School, have earned the Girl Scout Gold Award — the organization’s highest honor — for their outstanding leadership and commitment to taking action in their community. Just 5 percent of Girl Scouts nationwide achieve this level of recognition.

Samantha, who has been practicing dance since the age of 4 and is a member of the Torrey Pines Dance team, shared her passion with children living at Community HousingWorks facilities. For her Gold Award project, she choreographed and taught basic ballet and hip-hop classes, free of charge. She has arranged for her volunteer team to keep the lessons available at the facility in the future.

Samantha is a member of Troop 1256 and the daughter of Kristi and Brian Griffith. She will be attending UC Berkeley in the fall.

Michelle’s Gold Award project addressed the dangers of skin cancer. She educated elementary, middle and high school students on the damaging effects of the sun, ways to protect skin, and particularly the need for daily sunscreen. She has participated in medical missions to Fiji and Mexico in the past, and realized while working on her Gold Award project that she wants to become a dermatologist.

Michelle, who belongs to Troop 1156, is the daughter of Dayna and Paul Temby and has been a member of the California Scholarship Federation since her freshman year of high school. She previously earned the Bronze and Silver awards, the highest honors available to Girl Scout Juniors and Cadettes, respectively.

Samantha and Michelle are among 32 Girl Scouts in San Diego who earned the Gold Award this year. They received the award at a ceremony on June 4.

This is the centennial year of Girl Scouting’s highest award, which recognizes young women who create meaningful, sustainable change in their communities and around the world. The Gold Award is the most current in a series of honors — starting with the Golden Eaglet of Merit in 1916 and including the Curved Bar and First Class — that have acknowledged the power behind each recipient’s dedication to empowering and bettering herself, and making the world a better place for others.