Thursday, October 1, 2026
Before Anna Calabrese could encourage other young women to speak up, she first had to recognize the power of her own voice.
Drawing from her experiences in speech, debate, mock trial and research presentations at Sacred Heart Academy, the Rockville Centre resident created “Hear She, Hear She! Empowering Female Voices,” a Gold Award project designed to help girls build confidence through storytelling, conversation and connection.
Calabrese, 18, a member of Girl Scout Troop 874 and a recent Sacred Heart graduate, was among 67 young women from across Nassau County recognized for earning the Girl Scouts Gold Award, the organization’s highest achievement, at a June 17 ceremony at The Inn at New Hyde Park.
Another Rockville Centre resident, identified only as Lauren Y. by the Girl Scouts of Nassau County, also earned the award for her project “Patriot Pals,” which focused on teaching children about patriotism, American symbols, military branches, patriotic holidays and veterans through interactive workshops.
The Gold Award recognizes Girl Scouts who identify a civic or social issue, develop a plan to ameliorate it, build a team and create a sustainable solution designed to continue making an impact. Rande Bynum, CEO of Girl Scouts of Nassau County, said the experience helps young women develop skills that will benefit them throughout their lives.
“The 2026 Gold Award Girl Scouts are an extraordinary group of young women, and what they have accomplished goes far beyond the projects they completed,” Bynum said in a statement. “Through this experience, every one of them built real, transferable skills in leadership, problem-solving, public speaking, and project management that will give them an edge in college, in their careers, and in every community they are a part of for the rest of their lives.”
For Calabrese, the idea behind “Hear She, Hear She” grew out of her own experience as she sought to develop confidence as a public speaker while recognizing that many young women struggle to find their voice.
At Sacred Heart, Calabrese took part in speech and debate in her first two years before joining mock trial in her final two years. She also participated in research programs, which gave her opportunities to present her work at conferences and competitions, including the Association for Psychological Science in Washington, D.C., as a junior.
“It really puts you in the position where you have to speak in a room with all of these people,” Calabrese said. “It’s a little bit uncomfortable at first. But once my freshman year passed, I realized I was good at public speaking. But some of my peers around me were still a little scared.”
For her Gold Award project, Calabrese created a podcast series on Spotify featuring interviews with professional women from a variety of careers. The episodes highlighted their personal experiences, career paths and advice for younger generations.
The project’s title is a play on the traditional phrase “Hear ye, hear ye,” a public announcement call historically used by royal officials and town criers to draw attention to important messages.
“When it’s ‘Hear She, Hear She,’ it’s supposed to be uplifting female voices,” Calabrese said.
She interviewed more than a half-dozen women for the podcast, including Rockville Centre resident and former News12 Long Island meteorologist Samantha Augeri, who discussed broadcasting and her career in weather, and Assemblywoman Judy Griffin. Calabrese also interviewed famed chef, television host, author and restaurateur Lydia Bastianich.
Anna’s mother, Nora Calabrese, said that watching her daughter develop the project was rewarding, especially seeing how much confidence she gained with each conversation.
“Watching Anna earn her Girl Scout Gold Award has been incredibly rewarding as a parent,” Nora said. “It's been wonderful to watch her grow into someone who isn't just confident, but wants to use that confidence to make a positive difference.”
Nora said she was impressed by how Anna approached the interviews and built relationships with the women she featured. “Her enthusiasm was contagious, and you could see how much she enjoyed connecting with people and sharing their stories and challenges they had to overcome,” Nora said.
Although Anna asked for occasional feedback on questions and interview preparation, Nora said the project was ultimately her daughter’s own work.
“She took care of all the communication,” Nora said. “This is all her show.”
Anna said the process taught her the importance of preparation, communication and building relationships. “When you’re asking for somebody else’s time, it’s important to be really personable and really try to understand where they’re coming from and what you can learn from them,” she said.
Nora said Anna’s interest in communication began years before the Gold Award project. She recalled how her daughter joined a debate club created by fifth-grade teacher Melissa Rice at Floyd B. Watson Elementary School.
Along with the podcast, Anna created an activity booklet and Canva website designed to help girls become more comfortable communicating and expressing themselves. The project will continue beyond the Gold Award ceremony thanks to those resources.
Anna will attend Wake Forest University in North Carolina, where she plans to study psychology and pursue a doctorate while continuing research.
Lauren Y., a member of Girl Scout Troop 2178, could not be reached for comment by press time.
