Learn how independent Girl Scout Maya Cullen-Conyers earned her Gold Award
To earn a Girl Scout Gold Award is no easy feat. It takes time, passion, dedication and hard work.
Lynbrook resident Maya Cullen-Conyers, 19, a sophomore at Drexel University, proved she has all of that and more by completing a project on raising awareness of pollinator conservation.
She partnered with Crossroads Farm at Grossmann’s, in Malverne, to educate visitors about population declines of many species of bees and other pollinators. From proposal to garden building, her project took a year to complete.
Cullen-Conyers is not a member of a Girl Scout troop. She is an independent, also known as a Juliette. Named for the founder of the Girl Scouts, Juliette Gordon Low, Juliettes choose how to participate based on their schedule and interests, according to the Girl Scouts’ website.
Cullen-Conyers worked extra hard to earn badges and move up the scouting ranks. Her hard work paid off, as she earned the scouts’ most prestigious award.
Her project, What’s the Buzz?, encompassed learning about pollinators, creating a garden and hosting workshops to teach others how pollinators work, and how to make their own gardens at home.
“I’ve been really interested in gardening since I was a kid, and have always been going to Crossroads Farm as well,” Cullen-Conyers said. “I learned about the pollinator crisis, specifically about bees and how they’re going extinct, and how there need to be more pollinators planted in the surrounding areas.”
To prepare for her project, she attended workshops at Crossroads to learn more about bees and other pollinators. Her work was overseen by Leonore Russell and Delia Serrano, education director and education coordinator, respectively, at the farm.
Serrano initially spoke with Cullen-Conyers about what she wanted to do, and helped her with the project proposal. Once it was approved, Russell reviewed her plan and helped determine how Crossroads could help her. She took Cullen-Conyers around the farm, and they found a suitable place for a pollinator garden.
“We spent a lot of time in the greenhouse, going over how to plan for the garden and decide what the best pollinators are,” Russell explained. “I coached her on seeding, and knowing when a good time to seed is.”
Cullen-Conyers started a pollinator garden from seed, and hosted six educational workshops for audiences of all ages. She created a pamphlet that was used to market the workshops for Girl Scout troops, and Russell and Serrano helped promote the workshops in the community.
“We had some social media around it, some flyers, and marketed them for her,” Serrano said. “She got decent turnouts — she got a nice age range from families with kids and older citizens, community members. She really came into her own when she was working in front of the people.”
Cullen-Conyers made a video of the project, from seeding to planting in the ground.
“My main goal was to bring more awareness to bees and other pollinators — but mostly bees, about how they’re going extinct,” she said. “Pollinators are so important … (for) our crops and our plants.”
She learned how to identify organic growers, and purchased seeds and ordered supplies for her pollinator garden.
“I shared my experience with pollinators, taking time with her to observe them in the field and how to plan a garden for them,” Russell said.
Cullen-Conyers was Crossroads’ first involvement in a Gold Award project, and her garden is now on display.
“The Gold Award means a lot about leadership,” Maya said, “and taking a step forward in your community to help raise awareness of something, especially when it’s an issue.”
