Virginia Beach Girl Scout Marley Fenley Recognized as a 2026 Girl Scouts of the USA Gold Award Scholarship Recipient
July 21, 2026
Gold Award Girl Scout Marley Fenley, a 2026 graduate of Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach was recognized as a Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) Gold Award Scholarship recipient during an awards ceremony hosted by Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast (GSCCC) on June 6 at the L. Douglas Wilder Performing Arts Center (Norfolk State University) in Norfolk. Fenley received a GSUSA $5,000 scholarship, along with a matching $5,000 from GSCCC, thanks to the generosity of Girl Scout alum.
The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest and most prestigious award in Girl Scouting, recognized for Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts (grades 9-12), and the GSUSA Gold Award Scholarship is awarded to one remarkable Girl Scout per council who has demonstrated extraordinary leadership and sustainable impact while addressing a national or global issue.
Fenley’s Gold Award project, “i wish the world knew,” earned her the recognition and scholarship. For her project, she organized a community art project that promoted awareness, engagement, and inclusion of neurodiverse community members. Fenley has previously earned both the Girl Scout Bronze and Silver Awards.
Neurodiversity is the concept that brain differences — like autism, ADHD, or dyslexia — are natural variations of human diversity, not flaws, and should be respected and supported rather than “fixed.”
“Many people lack knowledge about neurodiversity,” Fenley explained. “These people in our community, including professionals, often do not understand the behaviors, actions, and abilities of children and adults with neurodiversity. Due to this lack of education and awareness, they often mistreat or misunderstand people who are different than them.”
Gold Award Girl Scouts Lana Janas of Windsor, Virginia, and Nomi Reins of Virginia Beach were named finalists for the GSUSA’s 2026 National Gold Award Girl Scout Scholarship, and each received a $2,500 scholarship.
According to GSUSA’s 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 does not end when a Girl Scout earns her Gold Award: ninety-nine percent (99%) of Gold Award alums take on leadership roles in their everyday lives.
About Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast
Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast, a United Way agency, serves nearly 7,000 girls in grades K through 12 with the help of nearly 5,000 adult volunteers in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. Girl Scouts offers a one-of-a-kind leadership development program for girls in an all-girl environment. Since 1912, Girl Scouts has been building girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place.
