Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania (GSWPA) awarded Bethel Park resident and Girl Scout Lyla Walsh the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can earn. By earning the Girl Scout Gold Award, Walsh positions herself as a community leader by advocating for others and utilizing leadership and citizenship skills that set her apart.
Walsh, a senior at Bethel Park High School, earned her Gold Award by tackling the gender gap in engineering through a project aimed at introducing young girls to the field. In a four-day summer camp that she designed and hosted, Walsh brought together women engineers to inspire and educate participants. Through presentations and hands-on STEM activities, the girls were given a glimpse into the rewarding world of engineering. Walsh’s primary focus was to highlight how engineering can be a "helping" field, showing the positive impact women can make in traditionally male-dominated industries.
Walsh’s project advisor, Mary Zeis, former Vice President of STEM Outreach and current SWENest Coordinator at The Society of Women Engineers - Pittsburgh, says of Walsh, “I found that Lyla was an intelligent, mature, and motivated young lady. I loved that she wanted to tackle the problem of the gender gap in engineering as her Girl Scouts Gold Award project.”
Reflecting on her journey, Walsh stated, “Since I was a young Girl Scout, earning my Gold Award has always been a goal of mine. This project taught me invaluable lessons about perseverance, leadership, and time management. I’m so proud to be a Gold Award Girl Scout."
Walsh is the daughter of James and Diana Walsh of Bethel Park. She has been a member of Girl Scouts for 12 years and was supported in her Gold Award effort by her project advisor, Mary Zeis; Girl Scout troop leader, Diana Walsh; publicity advisor, James Cromie; and the accomplished women engineers who donated their time to speak at her camp: Miranda Slomkowski, Sarah Ramp, Nina Carney, Kelly McCarthy, Sophia Zitkus, Katrina Sandoval, Erica Blumenschein, and Mariangela Peters.
Walsh received sponsorship from Menard USA, a geotechnical ground improvement company headquartered in Pittsburgh, which helped bring her vision to life. She began her Gold Award project in January 2024, and her accomplishment will be celebrated in the spring of 2025 at a ceremony for new Gold Award Girl Scouts in the GSWPA Council.
Beyond Girl Scouting, Walsh serves as Student Government President at her high school, plays the cello in the Chamber Orchestra, and teaches guitar lessons at South Hills Music. Upon graduating in 2025, she plans to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering and is committed to continuing her advocacy for women in STEM fields, especially engineering.
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