Congratulations, Shaelyn, on earning your Gold Award! GSSEM is proud of you and your dedication to making a positive impact on your community and beyond. 

Project: Hamer Graphic Novel

History was always a favorite subject of Shaelyn, so it is no surprise that the subject would play a key role in her Gold Award project.

Shaelyn researched, wrote and illustrated a graphic novel about the Hamer family, who escaped slavery through the Underground Railroad and later settled in Royal Oak.

Drawing on history

Working closely with the Royal Oak Historical Society, Shaelyn printed and distributed 500 copies her “Journey to Freedom” book to schools and the public library.

“Royal Oak is a historic city with a lot of stories to tell,” she said. She noticed that local history isn’t taught in the classroom.  

She shared her book with elementary students during six school visits and during special events at the historical society and the public library. Shaelyn gave a copy of her book to each student in the classrooms she read to, as well as left copies left in the second-grade classrooms and school libraries.

“That was my favorite part of the project- distributing copies (of the book) to every second grader in the district,” she said.

Through her Gold Award project, Shaelyn hopes to enlighten people about the importance of local history and reading, and maybe inspire a new author or two.

Learn more!

Shaelyn chats about her Gold Award project on GSSEM’s YouTube channel.

Find out more about Girl Scout Highest Awards on our website at www.gssem.org/highestawards.