Gabriela in her Girl Scout uniform.

Latina Focus: Gabriela
Hispanic Heritage Month

While Puerto Rican Gabriela is busy with college this fall, she is still reaping the benefits of her Gold Award Project from Girl Scouts of Caribe.

Last year she won the Presidential Environmental Youth Award from the Environmental Protection Agency for raising public awareness of the loss of avian habitats and her efforts to preserve the natural world. She became concerned by the decline in the population of birds due to expanding real estate ventures in Puerto Rico. She concluded that the decrease in population was related to development and started taking action.

Gabriela's mission was to inform members of the community in the eastern part of Puerto Rico about the birds so that they could understand their significance to the environment, but she also succeeded in teaching children the beauty and wonder of the natural world. Through her project, an interest in protecting the birds' natural habitat was brought to light so future generations of Puerto Ricans will be able to enjoy them.

This is not the first time Gabriela has been honored for her leadership activities. Last year she earned $1,000 in US Savings bonds as a prize for being four of International Leadership Network's 2006 Leaders of Tomorrow. Gabriela will continue to impress as she continues with her environmental efforts and her academic career.