Ep 145 Creating Historic Lamont: Amelia's Gold Award Journey

Full transcription available at http://heartsofgoldpodcast.com/  Amelia developed an app called Historic Lamont, a location-aware walking tour app that highlights the hidden historical gems of her hometown, Lamont, a suburb of Chicago. Inspired by a limited-availability walking tour from the Lamont Historical Society, Amelia wanted to make local history more accessible to everyone in her community. Amelia shared fascinating historical facts she uncovered, such as the local metro station witnessing President Lincoln's funeral train and being a site of the Lamont Massacre. She detailed the technical challenges she faced, including learning a new programming language and navigating Apple's stringent App Store approval process. Despite these hurdles, she successfully launched the app with the help of various community members, including the Lamont Historical Society, her history teacher, and students from her school's Historical Honor Society and Art Honor Society. Amelia also discussed the extensive community involvement in her project, estimating that over 1,000 hours were collectively invested. She emphasized the importance of starting early and being thorough in the Gold Award application process. Amelia's project not only made local history more accessible but also significantly boosted her confidence and skills, from writing professional emails to public speaking. Looking ahead, Amelia plans to attend the University of Chicago, majoring in computer science and possibly history or economics. She has already dabbled in AI and machine learning and hopes to integrate these fields with her historical interests. Amelia's story is a testament to the transformative power of the Girl Scout Gold Award, and she encourages other Girl Scouts to pursue their projects with dedication and passion. More About Amelia: Amelia Dunkin is a recent graduate of Lemont High School. She has been a dedicated member of the Girl Scouts for 12 years, progressing from Daisy to Ambassador. Throughout her involvement, she both attended and served as a counselor at her local Girl Scout summer camp. Amelia's Girl Scout journey culminated in earning her Gold Award through the development of an app called *Historic Lemont*, a location-aware iOS app designed to highlight the rich but often overlooked history of her town. In addition to her work with the Girl Scouts, Amelia was actively involved in various academic and extracurricular activities throughout high school. She participated in several honor societies, co-captained the Mathletes team, and played varsity on the Scholastic Bowl, Academic Challenge, and Bowling teams. She also volunteered with Special Olympics and the Northern Will County Special Recreation Association, where she is now employed. This fall, Amelia will attend the University of Chicago, where she plans to major in Computer Science and History. She aims to pursue interdisciplinary studies, particularly in the field of machine learning.   Key Takeaways from this episode: Community Involvement: Amelia's Girl Scout Gold Award project, the Historic Lamont app, was supported by various community members and organizations, including the Lamont Historical Society, local history teachers, and student groups, highlighting the importance of collaboration in community projects. Learning and Growth: The process of creating the app taught Amelia valuable skills, including coding in a new programming language and navigating the app submission process, which contributed to her personal development and confidence. Encouragement for Future Girl Scouts: Amelia emphasizes the transformative experience of pursuing the Gold Award, encouraging others to take on the challenge as it can significantly enhance their skills, self-perception, and community engagement. Share this show with your friends on Twitter. Click to have an editable already written tweet! https://ctt.ac/33zKe Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/3rx06pr   Join our Facebook Community https://www.facebook.com/sherylmrobinson/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sherylmrobinson/?hl=en Please subscribe to Hearts of Gold on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/sherylmrobinson or on your favorite podcast app. Support future Hearts of Gold episodes at https://www.patreon.com/heartsofgold Editing by https://www.offthewalter.com/ Walter's YouTube channel is https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt0wFZRVaOpUd_nXc_8-4yQ