Kinsley Jackson '26 Earns Girl Scout's Most Prestigious Honor

Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania has recognized Kinsley Jackson '26 with the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest and most prestigious honor in Girl Scouting. Kinsley earned this award as part of the Calling All Girl Bosses program, a nine-month leadership initiative that empowers middle and high school girls to address real-world issues in their neighborhoods. 

The Gold Award is reserved for Girl Scouts who demonstrate extraordinary leadership by identifying a critical issue in their community and developing a sustainable solution. Earning this award requires a minimum of 80 hours of work and a deep commitment to creating lasting, meaningful change. Only 5 percent of Girl Scouts achieve this distinction.

For her Gold Award project, "Teaching West Philadelphia's African American History through Mural Art," Kinsley organized mural tours in West Philadelphia and led workshops where young people created their own paintings inspired by Black history. She says, "I wanted to explain the history of the murals of West Philadelphia because I want people to be informed through deeper meaning of the art and the reasoning behind why the art was created." Through this work, she demonstrated initiative, perseverance, and a deep commitment to making a meaningful difference—values and qualities we strive for at Merion Mercy Academy.

We celebrate Kinsley's incredible achievement and leadership both within Girl Scouting and the Merion Mercy community.