Samantha Ferrara, with the new Town of Harrison Mayor Tom Scappaticci. The Mayor will be honoring Samantha at their February 5th, 2026 Town Board Meeting at 7pm.
Harrison Teen Becomes First Local Girl Scout in 16 Years to Earn Gold Award
Harrison High School junior Samantha Ferrara earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor in Girl Scouting, on Oct. 20, 2025. She is the first Girl Scout from Harrison to receive the Gold Award in at least 16 years.
The Gold Award is rare and highly selective. Only about 5 percent of eligible Girl Scouts nationwide earn the distinction, reflecting the level of leadership, planning, and sustained community impact required.
Ferrara earned the award for her project, Sam’s Sacred Style, which addresses textile waste and clothing insecurity. Through the initiative, she collected, restored, and redistributed gently worn white Communion and Confirmation dresses to families in need.
To date, Ferrara has collected and redistributed 352 dresses and diverted more than 1,400 pounds of textiles from landfills. She was mentored by a co-founder of Helpsy, a textile reuse and recycling company, reinforcing the project’s environmental focus. She also partnered with Food for the Poor and Angels of Hope to distribute dresses globally to girls facing clothing insecurity and to orphanages, expanding the project’s reach beyond Westchester and the United States.
Beyond her Gold Award project, Ferrara has demonstrated a broader commitment to environmental education. She has published a children’s book, Compost with Coco, focused on composting and the environmental benefits of food waste reduction, and has written and published a research paper examining consumer behavior and sustainability in the fast fashion industry.
“I wanted to show that meaningful change can start locally and still reach far beyond our community,” Ferrara said. “Many of the girls I worked with felt embarrassed or discouraged because their families couldn’t afford a new dress. Being able to support them, restore their confidence, and show them how reusing clothing also helps the Earth was incredibly meaningful.”
Ferrara serves as vice president of the Harrison High School Environmental Club and interns with the Harrison Sustainability Committee, where she supports local initiatives related to composting, recycling, and sustainable practices. She hopes to pursue a future that combines science, research, teaching, and community-based impact, allowing her curiosity to drive hands-on learning and service.
The next Sam’s Sacred Style dress distribution event is slated for early March at St. John’s the Baptist Church in White Plains. For updates and additional information, follow Sam’s Sacred Style on Instagram.