Candace Bracht, a senior in high school as well as Senior Girl Scout, recently received the 25th annual James S. Copley Citizenship Award for “exemplary participation in community life.” And what inspires a 15-year-old to endure such a wide array of citizenship? Bracht has been a Girl Scout for more than 11 years and has earned three vests filled with badges as she moved through Brownies, Juniors, Cadettes and Senior scouting.
To earn the Gold Award, she started an equestrian club at University City High School.
“I started the club my sophomore year and now have 22 members,” Bracht said. “I chose this project because I wanted a club based on my passion, which is horses, and also to help show other teens that it is possible to carve your own path at age 15.”
Not only does the equestrian club share a love for horses, the members have a strong participation in school activities ranging from the annual EdUCate program to attending PTSA meetings. The club concentrates on clean-up, campus beautification, recycling and cleaning the sports equipment area. Their biggest effort is campus clean-up, which takes place four times a year. The goal of the equestrian club is to educate teens, showing them that they can play a part in helping the environment in simple ways and that their actions do count.
Bracht’s accomplishments are many. She maintains a 4.5 point average at UC High, receiving all A’s for the past 11 years; has been on the Principal’s Honor Roll each high school year; earned the Principal’s Choice Award for Outstanding Junior Under-classman; is captain of the UCHS Dance Team; and is an ASB officer with goals of enlisting a corporate sponsor for some of ASB’s school projects.
She has received special recognition from the community and scholastic achievements such as the 2007 Rotary Youth Leadership Award, 2007 Education for Gifted Youth Program at Stanford University, 2007 Junior League Community Youth Leader Award and 2007 California Service Corps Award, just to name a few.
“I believe I am a good example of how much one person can be involved with and make an impact. My service hours over the years have been nothing but pleasure,” she said. “I owe that to my early introduction into community service from my Brownie/Girl Scout activities.”
Her influence has helped other Girl Scouts pursuing their Gold or Silver award as well.
“It has been so much fun and very rewarding to share my experience and to hear the great ideas these younger girls have to help shape the future,” Bracht said.
So far, three of the girls have finished their Gold award project proposal and another group is submitting its Silver award proposal.
Helping others has helped Bracht realize that she wants to pursue a teaching degree in college.
The prestigious James S. Copley Citizenship Award, which is named after the late Copley Press chairman and San Diego Union-Tribune publisher, is based upon leadership and citizenship, with high achievements in community, school, academics, sports and faith.