Sugar Land Girl Scout Earns National Service Award for Literacy Campaign

---

Emily Wang, a junior at Stephen F. Austin High School, has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor in Girl Scouting. The award recognizes girls in grades nine through 12 who demonstrate extraordinary leadership through sustainable and measurable community service projects that require a minimum of 80 hours to complete. Less than five percent of Girl Scouts earn the award.

To earn the award, Wang hosted a nationwide book drive in conjunction with the Alliance of Youth Leaders in the United States to raise awareness about the effects of illiteracy. More than 10,000 books have been collected nationwide. “I grew up obsessed with reading, so literacy is a subject close to my heart,” said Wang. “I always had a book in my hand, so when I realized how much of an issue illiteracy is, especially in the Greater Houston area, I wanted to help out.”

In addition to hosting a nationwide book drive, Wang hosted a local drive in support of Memorial Hermann Hospital’s Child Life department. More than 200 books were donated. Wang, with assistance from volunteers and staff at Memorial Hermann, later organized the books, distributed them and read to pediatric patients receiving care. After graduating from high school in spring 2018, Wang plans to attend a four-year university and pursue a career in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM).

To learn more about the Girl Scout Gold Award, visit www.girlscouts.org.