DEERFIELD BEACH – Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida recognized 22 outstanding young women from Broward, Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Okeechobee and Indian River counties with the prestigious 2026 Girl Scouts Gold Award, the highest achievement in Girl Scouting.
The 2026 Gold Award Girl Scouts with ties to Port St. Lucie are Carmela Bustamante and Angelyka Valdez.
Awarded to only 5% of eligible Girl Scouts nationwide, the Gold Award recognizes girls in grades 9 through 12 who demonstrate exceptional leadership and commitment to creating meaningful, sustainable change in their communities.
To earn the award, each Girl Scout must identify a community issue and lead a large-scale service project with lasting impact. The Class of 2026 tackled issues including literacy, mental health, health awareness, food insecurity, foster care and environmental sustainability. Their projects contributed more than 2,500 community service hours and impacted thousands of lives locally and abroad.
Gold Award projects require advanced leadership, communication and project management skills, often involving partnerships with nonprofits, schools, local governments and community organizations.
“I am impressed by the determination and creativity the Gold Award Class of 2026 demonstrated through their projects,” said Lisa Johnson, CEO of Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida. “Earning a Gold Award marks an important milestone, and the vision, commitment and leadership these young women have shown will continue to carry them to new heights.”
The 2026 Gold Awards ceremony sponsors included HCA Florida Healthcare, Amazon, Florida Power & Light and Publix Super Markets Charities, with Tula Hudson-Miller serving as a table sponsor.
Carmela Bustamante
Carmela Bustamante, a Port St. Lucie resident and freshman at Florida State University, wants to open people’s eyes to the fact that homelessness is a looming reality for a large number of Floridians and once homelessness occurs, obtaining new housing is extremely difficult and rarely quick.
Her project, “A Hand Up for the Homeless,” did just that. Florida has the fourth largest homeless population in the country, behind California, New York and Washington, D.C.
Shockingly, approximately 60% of all Americans are just one paycheck away from homelessness because of rising housing costs, lack of savings, income instability or an unplanned expense, usually medical related.
Regional data revealed that more than 2,700 students in St. Lucie County were identified as homeless or in unstable housing.
Carmela set out to organize community efforts to provide both practical support and education by collaborating with Angels of Hope, part of Food for the Poor. With her team, she organized a three-part workshop series to teach others to make crocheted sleeping mats out of recycled plastic bags to offer sustainable comfort and insulation to individuals sleeping outdoors.
Through workshop presentations and social media outreach, she taught 50 individuals how to make “yarn” from recycled plastic while she educated many more about the grim realities of homelessness and encouraged compassionate, informed support. By combining direct aid with advocacy, her project aimed to alleviate immediate hardships while fostering long-term awareness and empathy. Her instructional booklet and video will continue to educate and inspire others to lend a helpful hand to their own local homeless populations.
Angelyka Valdez
Angelyka Valdez, a Port St. Lucie resident and senior at Lincoln Park Academy in Fort Pierce, has made it her mission to help her community connect with their roots.
With her project “Open Your Mind and Feel the Rhythm,” she set out to cultivate cultural curiosity and facilitate understanding by sharing an appreciation for traditional music and dances from various cultures.
Angelyka knew that the way to open minds would be through the powerful and passionate storytelling found in music and dance, where rich heritage can be felt, heard and seen. She created a cultural showcase hosted in partnership with Indian River State College’s McAlpin Arts Center and Lindsey School of the Arts, featuring education, culture, music, song and dance from Puerto Rican, French, Italian, African and African American heritage.
The event brought the community together to experience and appreciate traditions that they may not have been exposed to before.
Angelyka recruited and organized performers, speakers and advisors to ensure that each culture was represented with meaning and authenticity from different generations and backgrounds to reconnect with their roots and learn from one another.
The well-rounded event promoted cultural awareness, emotions, appreciation and unity because rhythm and creativity are something all people can share. Survey results showed that a majority of guests are “very likely” to explore or learn more about different cultures and feel “very connected” to another culture after attending this event. Angelyka’s entire show is here.
Angelyka, who will attend Florida Atlantic University in the fall, was surprised at the ceremony with the $2,500 “You Are My Sunshine” Scholarship sponsored by Christine and Logan Seal.