ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Even though the Girl Scout Gold Award is an individually earned honor, these projects are not possible without the help of community members. These individuals have all dedicated their time to assist me in helping teens and young adults with disabilities feel confident in entering the workforce as well as providing easy and accessible resources and guidance. All of them have encouraged and supported me throughout this journey and without them this project would not have been possible.
As my project advisor, Sarah was always available to help. She dedicated time to sit with me and brainstorm, craft emails, look over my work, and support me in any way she could. Her professional knowledge and experience as a previous Gold Award Recipient has been critical to my project. I am so grateful for her support and optimism throughout this process!
My Gold Award Team
My mom, Lynda, has been a huge support for me since the beginning of this project. She has continually believed in my ideas and provides valuable feedback to help me make my project as effective and accurate as possible. Being super organized and efficient, she consistently went out of her way to ensure I was on the right track. I am so thankful for all of her work and patience!
Adam is an expert in employment services at the NJ Council on Developmental Disabilities. I am very grateful that he was able to share his expertise at the workshop and dedicate his time to helping with my project. Adam was such a great support and I appreciate his responsiveness and participation!
Jen has provided me with many resources and shared her personal and professional experiences at the workshop. Jen is amazing and is always willing to support me and my endeavors. I am so grateful for the time that she has dedicated to helping me through this process!
Victoria has provided amazing first hand information and served as an inspiration. She is a successful, kind, and positive young adult who has navigated the process of entering workforce and shared her story at the workshop that was held! It was amazing to hear her experiences in Bergen Community College's Turning Point Program, TCNJ, Penn Medical, ShopRite, and her many other endeavors serving as a mentor.Â
My dad, Mike, helped with the recording and set up of my workshop over Zoom. He assured that the link would work for all participants and enabled the recording feature for later viewing. He also helped edit down the video into 10 minute clips to be able to put it on this website.