Yuma Girl Scout reaches highest honor

Whether it's school, sports or Girl Scouts, Katelyn Weddle is nothing short of a champion.

Katelyn, 18, is a National Honor Society recipient, a state champion swimmer, an amateur radio operator and now has a new title to add to her long list of distinctions.

During a June ceremony, Weddle was officially awarded the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor to be given to a Girl Scout. It is the equivalent of the Eagle Award in Boy Scouts.

“Katelyn is at the very top of the ladder. No one can tell her she can’t do something,” said Gold Award adviser Linda Riley. “Katelyn is definitely a young lady of distinction. She is something for other girls to emulate. They light up when they see her.”

Katelyn raved about the importance of Scouting in her life.

“It is the best thing you can do. You gain lifetime skills you will never lose," she said. "You can meet new people, have fun and volunteer. If we cannot have volunteers in a community, the community will not function.”

Only about 5 percent of all Girl Scouts in the nation received the Gold Award last year, according to www.GirlScouts.org. Only three Yuma Girl Scouts have earned the gold award in the past five years.

Riley said the number of older Girl Scouts has been on the decline. However, she said, Katelyn could be an inspiration for other local girls to go for the gold.

“Katelyn encourages the younger girls to keep going. She has shown them that earning the Gold Award is obtainable.”

Katelyn is a 2009 graduate of Kofa High School.

Her Gold Award accomplishment has even breathed new life into the local Scouting program. Now three Girl Scouts in Yuma are working toward achieving the Gold Award, including Katelyn’s younger sister, Chelsea.

Katelyn's older brother earned the Eagle Award through Boy Scouts, and her younger brother is currently working toward the honor.

There are seven steps to earning the Gold Award, which culminates in planning and organizing a community project. As a four-year lifeguard, Katelyn’s project was a water safety class for local elementary students.

“I wanted kids to be comfortable around water by teaching pool safety and water safety,” Katelyn said.

She recruited 15 of her swim team members and fellow lifeguards and logged 75 hours putting together the project, all while maintaining a 4.3 (on a scale of 4.0) grade-point average in school.

Katelyn said, “dedication and hard work really does pay off. It was hard to balance everything, but it was fun.”

The project's main goal is to create something that other people will want to continue. And Katelyn’s project proved to be just that.

“The kids and the parents loved it. They want us to do it again next year. I hope to plan another one.”

Not only does Katelyn plan to organize future water safety classes, but she hopes to continue volunteering in the Girl Scouts. She said she plans to become an ambassador for the program, continue working with local troops and even operate her own troop.

“Earning the Gold Award has made me confident, especially going off to college, learning how to plan big projects, step out of my comfort zone and learn from my mistakes - and the joy of volunteering in my community.”  

Katelyn is also going for the gold in swimming. Not only was she a state high school swimming champion in 2007, she competed at the Olympic trials held in Nebraska last August. She plans on attending San Diego State University this fall on a full scholarship for swimming and major in aerospace and engineering.

“I hope to become the first Olympian on the moon!”