Increasing monarch butterfly habitats and awareness
Arianna: 2023 Gold Award Girl Scout
Arianna is studying biotechnology at Westminster University after nearly four years doing internships and lab work in the field. Growing up, she was a competitive dancer, swimmer, student, and active Juliette Girl Scout.
Arianna worried about earning her Gold Award because of an invisible illness she developed; however, she credits her support system for helping her through the project process.
To support Monarch butterflies in Utah, Arianna built a website with free educational resources for teachers and the general public. She met with teachers, created coloring sheets, developed lesson plans, and researched and sorted resources for the website.
Noting there weren’t many resources specific to the state, Arianna made sure to include a Utah focus in the lessons so teachers could provide a local tie for students in an effort to support Monarch habitats. Arianna also worked with professionals in the Monarch research field and sourced a free milkweed seed provider to further support the project and the local butterfly populations.
While Arianna met and overcame setbacks with her project, she’s very happy with the end product, especially given her love of STEM and animals. She also learned how to be a leader and work with a team in the process.
After 12 years as a Girl Scout, Arianna says it feels weird to suddenly stop that part of her life, but she knows that time has prepared her for what’s to come.
Visit Arianna's website Learning About Monarch Butterflies
