Dancing with Confidence: Rockwall Senior Earns Girl Scout Gold Award

DuPont’s project, titled “Confidence in Dance,” addressed the root cause of low self-esteem and performance anxiety in middle and high school girls. Drawing from her personal journey of resilience on the drill team, DuPont designed and hosted workshops specifically for girls in the 6th and 7th grades who were auditioning for middle school drill teams in Rockwall.

Throughout her project, DuPont:

• Mentored 45 young dancers across two major workshops, teaching them dance technique, power, and projection as tools for demonstrating confidence.

• Integrated mental wellness by leading activities focused on positive self-talk and peer-to-peer compliments to combat the negative effects of social comparison and performance anxiety.

• Created a sustainable roadmap for future leadership, providing her drill team director with a comprehensive collection of resources—including choreography notes, marketing flyers, and icebreakers—to ensure the workshops continue for years to come.

By sharing her own experiences with overcoming obstacles, DuPont empowered young athletes to “dance like nobody’s watching” and develop a strong sense of self that extends far beyond the dance floor.  A special thanks to the dedicated volunteers who gave their time and energy to make these workshops a success. Recognition is also extended to those who provided expert guidance throughout the project, including Project Advisor and Rockwall High School Drill Team Director Whitney Walker; Utley Middle School Drill Team Instructor Lainey Wood; and Sydni Thomas of Studio 3:23.

Gold Award Girl Scouts become innovative problem-solvers, empathetic leaders, confident public speakers, and focused project managers. They learn resourcefulness, tenacity, and decision-making skills, giving them an edge personally and professionally. As they take action to transform their communities, Gold Award Girl Scouts gain tangible skills and prove they’re the leaders our world needs.

According to recent research, Gold Award Girl Scouts are more likely to fill leadership roles at work and in their personal lives and are more civically engaged than their non-Girl Scout peers. Eighty-seven percent (87%) of Gold Award Girl Scouts agree that earning their Gold Award gave them skills that help them succeed professionally. Seventy-two percent (72%) said earning their Gold Award helped them get a scholarship. Changing the world doesn’t end when a Girl Scout earns her Gold Award. Ninety-nine percent (99%) of Gold Award Girl Scout alums take on leadership roles in their everyday lives.

Girl Scouts bring their dreams to life and work together to build a better world. Through programs from coast to coast, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges—whether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike or advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends. Backed by trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and millions of alums, Girl Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them. To join us, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, visit girlscouts.org.

Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas (GSNETX) serves girls and adult volunteers across 32 counties. In 2018, GSNETX opened the first STEM Center of Excellence in the Girl Scout national movement to help change the workforce pipeline in STEM and meet the urgent need for female voices, engagement, and leadership in the fastest-growing sector of the U.S. economy.

In 2025, Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas proudly opened the first Girl Scout DreamLab in Texas—a modern, flexible space designed to spark creativity, collaboration, and community among Girl Scouts. The Girl Scout DreamLab provides a welcoming environment where girls can explore interests, build friendships, and take the lead in making the world a better place.

The Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas Board of Directors was recognized with the Dallas Business Journal’s Outstanding Directors Award and the council received the Luminary Award from SMU’s Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development.