When Jessica Fernandez was 5 years old, she thought it would be fun to join the Girl Scouts as a Daisy. Her family had just moved to Platte County and she thought Scouting would be a good way to help her make more friends in the school district.
Since that time, Jessica’s commitment to Girl Scouts has led to her most ambitious project in her many years of Scouting. She is now 16 and has worked since late 2019 on her Gold Award project.
When she was trying to decide what she would choose as her project she had a few ideas, but was having difficulty deciding. After she did more research, calculated project money and what those ideas meant to her, she decided to look for something completely new.
“In early 2020, my dad had shown me what the Veterans History Project was and how I could turn this into my Gold Project,” Jessica said. “I began researching the mission and requirements, and decided this was the project for me. I got my project reviewed and approved in the fall of 2020. My first interview was on Dec. 17, 2020, and my eighth and last interview was completed on May 8, 2021.”
The Gold Award project is the lengthiest and most time-consuming project she has ever worked on.
Fernandez
During her time working on the Veterans History Project, she recorded and collected real-life stories from veterans.
“Future generations, and anyone interested can view and listen to these stories,” Jessica said. “This project helps gather and save first-hand experiences and artifacts from veterans who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. These veterans have made it so that we can live our wonderful life in the U.S., and this is one way I’d like to honor them. These are real stories and real events that these brave soldiers went through. Everyone can find more of an appreciation for veterans by researching and even adding to the Veterans History Project.”
The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest award you can receive in Scouting. In order to begin working on a Gold project you must be a registered Girl Scout, and at the Ambassador level.
“As a prerequisite of this award you must complete two journeys, or one journey and your Silver Award,” Jessica said. “There is a minimum of 80 hours of work towards this project, and it does seem like a lot but it’s easy to fill the time once you’ve picked the right project. You must have your project approved by your Girl Scout leader, and then move on to a panel meeting. This meeting includes the Gold Committee and their job is to review and approve your project. They may have some helpful suggestions or add in more things for you to complete.”
Her Gold Award project is just one of the many things she has learned and accomplished in Girl Scouts. Jessica said there are many character traits she has picked up along the way. She has learned to be a role model, lead groups of people and to always come prepared.
She has interviewed eight veterans in the past five months. “The most interesting thing that I have learned from this experience was that everyone has a completely different background, a different story, but all have the same drive to protect our country and become united with their brothers and sisters that fight along with them,” Jessica said.
She believes that it’s important to hear real stories and experiences from veterans. “These stories are not a ‘Hollywood’ made version, they are real things that have happened,” Jessica said. “After hearing these stories veterans become more of an importance in your life. Without them doing what they do, we would not have the life we have today.”
All the recordings she has done and artifacts veterans have given her will be stored at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C., to be permanently preserved and accessible for educational purposes. The veterans she interviewed ranged from ages 40s to 70s. The wars in which they served ranged from World War ll to wars in Africa and Iraq.
The main questions that she asked the veterans are about how their military experience influenced their thinking about war or about the military in general; their boot camp/training experiences; and close friendships they made while in the service.
“All of the veterans had unique answers and different experiences,” Jessica said. “I interviewed men and women, old and young, different military branches, and people of different backgrounds. This gave me the opportunity to see all about the bravery and toughness of people serving in the US military.”
Her father, Eddie Fernandez, is a Chief Warrant Officer 5 in the Marine Corps, and has been in the service for more than 30 years.
“He’s always been someone I look up to after all these years,” Jessica said. “He works hard at what he does for my family and every family in the United States. My grandfather Russel Smith was also an Air Force veteran.”
For Jessica, the most challenging part of her Gold Award project has been staying motivated and keeping on top of things. “I love how my project is turning out and I am proud of the work that I have put into it, although it is hard to stay motivated while balancing school, sports, and friends,” Jessica said. “The most rewarding part of this project for me was learning to expand my knowledge about the military. This has allowed me to gain a new appreciation for the veterans that keep our country safe. This project has also led me to strengthen my interviewing and speaking skills. I have become more confident when speaking to adults, and that has helped me to get a new job.”
As the Gold Award ceremony approaches, Jessica said there is always a big event hosted by the Girl Scouts. She has earned her Silver Award and will soon be awarded her Gold Award.
“Attending for your Gold is a big deal,” Jessica said. “This is also an amazing opportunity to see other Scouts’ projects if you are looking into starting yours to get the ideas flowing.”
Jessica’s attraction to the project largely stemmed from the fact that she believes living in the United States is a great privilege, and some people including, she admitted, herself, sometimes take it for granted.
“It is important to learn about the history of our military and all the sacrifices they have made for us to gain a better appreciation and maybe a new perspective of how amazing our life in the United States is because of these veterans and military members,” Jessica said.
After she finishes high school she plans to begin studies to become a pediatrician, but her interviews and interactions with veterans will remain one of her proudest moments.
“The most important thing that I had learned when hearing the veterans’ stories is that no matter who you are and where you come from veterans have a drive to protect and give back to our country,” Jessica said.