top of page
Search

This is Sophia Clossey, Girl Scout Gold Award Recipient

By Jennifer Ersalesi


For over twelve years, Rutherford High School Junior, Sophia Clossey, has been an active member of the Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey. She began her journey as a Daisy Scout when she was in Kindergarten. Currently, she is an Ambassador Scout working on the highest award a Girl Scout can achieve, the Gold Award. This is Rutherford interviewed Sophia to learn more about her dedication to the Girl Scouts, her Gold Award projects, and her goals for the future.


TIR: How long have you been a Girl Scout?


Sophia Clossey: I have been involved with the Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey for 12 years. My first year involved in this program was in Kindergarten as a Daisy Scout. Currently, I am an Ambassador Scout!


TIR: Over the years, what are some of your favorite memories of being a Girl Scout?


SC: Besides my Gold Award itself, my favorite memories have always been going camping with my troop. The life lessons taught by my troop leaders, the stories told around the campfire, and the preparation against the elements as a group are some of the many happy memories I've had with my troop. The best was a few summers ago when the troop went white-water rafting on the Delaware! It was unlike anything I've ever experienced and I'm so grateful to be able to share these memories with my troop members and leaders.



Regarding my Gold Award, my favorite memory was during one of my "Mini Clinics" with a 12U team. We were doing a teamwork activity, then all of a sudden, it started downpouring! It was insane we could barely even see each other with the amount of rain coming down. But, these girls were determined to participate and learn from my teamwork activity! We continued the game while the rain was really coming down, and it will be a memory I will never forget. The fact that these girls wanted to keep going and work together as a team will forever make my heart flutter with joy!


 TIR: You recently completed your Gold Award project, which was no small feat.  Can you tell us about your project?


SC: The Gold Award is the highest award a Senior or Ambassador Girl Scout can achieve. This award prioritizes the demonstration of leadership as the Girl Scout must create lasting change on a chosen community issue through over 80 hours of service. Upon beginning their award, Gold Award applicants must choose a root cause to their community issue and present it to the Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey council. Personally, the community issue I chose to address was the issue of mental toughness within youth sports. The title of my award is "What Do You 'Got'?: Teaching Youth Athletes How to Implement a Positive Mindset". Fittingly, I have implemented the principles of a positive growth mindset, mental strength, and confident self-talk into the philosophies of youth athletic programs in my community. Further, I have taught young athletes about healthy relationships with coaches, teammates, community, and one's self, teamwork, and practices of growth mindset to keep young athletes passionate about their sport with a strong and healthy mind. To do so, I hosted a number of clinics regarding athletic positive mindsets with the Little League Softball Program throughout the 2025 season, created Youtube videos and an Instagram account (linked below) addressing these strategies to reach a larger audience, and handed out 'What Do You 'Got'?" bracelets around the town to further spread my influence! In sum, I was able to connect with over 200 athletes within the Rutherford community and over 15 different towns via social media within District 5!



TIR: Why did you choose this particular project for your community?


SC: I chose this specific root cause and community issue because I can directly relate to the community members I am affecting. I have been playing softball since Kindergarten--the same amount of years I've been a Girl Scout--at the Little League, High School, Club, and National levels. As a child, I wish I had some influence to share the importance of training the mental aspect of athletics, for it is a huge aspect of every sport. I often shared with the athletes I spoke with the fact that a baseball player can hit the ball three out of ten times and still be considered to be a Hall-Of-Fame athlete. A sport that has a 70% fail rate requires each athlete to have a strong mind that has the ability to deal with failure and the resilience to overcome the challenges that are bound to happen! Ultimately, the mental health side of sports should never be neglected, but rather a regular part of training. 


TIR: What are some of your biggest takeaways after actively working with young softball players?  


SC: After actively working with the youth athletes, I have learned that every mind--especially at a young age--is impressionable. With a strong and effective leader, these children will be able to continue the activities they love at a skill level much higher than they might have expected. Additionally, these children make the focal point of athletics blatantly obvious: having fun! I became overfilled with joy when I saw the athletes I worked with singing the chants they learned, passing around bracelets, and smiling their way home after a clinic. Because it's the truth; a sport should never be built upon a column of self doubt and crunching numbers, but rather connecting with one's peers, laughing their way through errors, and building a team bond that is unbreakable. 



TIR: What were some of the challenges you overcame while coordinating this program?  


SC: The biggest challenge I faced while coordinating this program was based around some scheduling conflicts. Creating, planning, and organizing multiple events at this caliber is nothing to take lightly, especially as a student-athlete! I overcame this by exactly planning all events far in advance and communicating with my project advisor and helpers as much as possible to make sure everything ran smoothly. Through this, I've further built my skills surrounding leadership, communication, and organizational skills. 


TIR: Why would you encourage young girls to join the Girl Scouts and work their way up to receiving a Gold Award?


SC: I'd like to first emphasize the importance of joining and sticking with the Girl Scout program even through high school. I've learned so many life skills from my troop leaders as I've gotten older that I'd probably never learn elsewhere. My troop leaders and I share a special bond unlike any other, along with my other troop members; I always look forward to our monthly meetings! Regarding the Gold Award, every Girl Scout should aim for this accomplishment. This is one of my proudest moments of my life, for it has taught me more than I'd ever imagined. In many ways, I feel as though I've prepared for my future as an adult as I learned how to lead a team and coordinate hundreds of people at once, even as an adolescent. And, it makes me extremely happy that I have placed a positive influence upon the people of my community. It is the best feeling to know I've made a difference!


One of Sophia's troop leaders, Megan Hild, explained, "Sophia's dedication and leadership shine through in every step of her Gold Award journey. She is an inspiration! We couldn't be prouder."


TIR: As a junior in high school, what are your plans for the future?


SC: For the future, I plan to attend a university after my high school graduation in 2027. I'd love to expand on the skills I've built through my Gold Award into my college and work experiences, hopefully somewhere that I can lead a team to be a successful influence upon others. Years down the road I hope to be that positive adult influence my troop leaders and softball coaches had on me. My goal is to be a positive influence to the next upcoming generation of leaders!


TIR: Anything else you would like to add.


SC: I would like to thank Mr. Mark O'Connor, President of the Rutherford Little League Softball Program, for his help as my Girl Scout Gold Award Project Advisor, Mrs. Tara Giacalone, Secretary for the Rutherford Little League Softball Program, for being the best help in scheduling with Rutherford Little League Softball, my troop leaders Jennifer Micco and Megan Hild for their influence of opportunities, my family as my biggest supporters, and all of the student volunteers who helped make my Gold Award a success. And, thank you Mrs. Ersalesi and the entire This is Rutherford program for this wonderful opportunity!


Secretary of Rutherford Little League Softball, Tara Giacalone, told TIR, "Sophia’s “What Do You ‘Got’?” Mini Clinics provided overt instruction in grit development, growth mindset, and the power of teamwork in fun engaging activities for our players. Sophia attended team practices to share her knowledge and skills with all of the league’s players.  Sophia’s passion for the game and dedication for training a healthy mind is evident. She has an air of confidence and positivity that makes people want to listen to her intently. Sophia had the power and know how to engage players as young as 4 years old to 14 years old.  

Beyond the clinics last year, Sophia curated a series of instructional videos with her lessons for the league to share with coaches and managers and the wider Little League Softball District for years to come. My daughters especially liked the teambuilding games they learned from Sophia and the “What Do You 'Got'?" bracelets they received at the end of the initial mini clinic; a reminder to the power of positive thinking and sisterhood of the greater softball community."


Below are a multitude of links to various social media outlets where "What Do You 'Got'?" is posted. 

Youtube videos: 




Comments

bottom of page