Girl Scout earns Gold Award for cancer benefit

Amanda Cedeno

Girl Scout Ambassador Amanda Cedeno recently earned the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council Gold Award.

To earn the award, Cedeno organized a 5K walk and fun run supporting ovarian cancer patients. To enter the 5K, participants had to donate a $10 gift card for any restaurant, two magazines or a homemade card. With the donations, she made more than 50 gift baskets for the ovarian cancer patients at Gynecologic Oncology of Houston, containing magazines, $30 to $40 worth of gift cards, homemade "Get well soon" cards and a letter from Cedeno.

"I chose this project because ovarian cancer awareness is very important to me, since ovarian cancer runs in my family and has taken some relatives," said Cedeno, a senior at Cypress Woods High School. "I also think it's good to educate people, specifically women, on the subject."

The Gold Award is the highest award a Girl Scout can achieve. Fewer than 5 percent of girls who join Girl Scouts earn this recognition. It takes more than 100 service hours and two to three years of work to complete the award requirements, which include planning and completing a project that is a service to the community.

As an active member of Girl Scouts, Cedeno has earned her Bronze and Silver Awards, and participates in cookie sales and Habitat for Humanity. At Cy Woods, she is involved in the National Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society and more. She is also a commended National Merit Scholar and a National Hispanic Merit Scholar. Following graduation, she plans to study physical therapy to become a physical therapist and eventually own her own practice.