A Well-Deserved Honor

The highest achievement a Girl Scout can attain is the Gold Award. For a girl to earn this prestigious award, one of her many requirements is to plan and carry out a major service project. For her project, Theresa Hanntz, a student at Immaculata High School in Somerville, NJ, had the idea of organizing a chastity program at her high school. The Girl Scouts rejected her proposal, claiming the project was too controversial. Theresa didn’t take no for an answer. She appealed the Girl Scouts’ decision, a compromise was reached, and she was able to implement a program in her high school. When I came across this article that told Theresa’s story, I was particularly struck when it said that her involvement in pro-life activities started when one of her teachers invited her to join her school’s Pro-Life Club. Regarding joining the club, Theresa commented, “I’d always been pro-life, but I’d never really known much about it. Once I started, everything kind of snowballed.” Now a freshman at the University of Scranton, Theresa is active in the school’s Students for Life group, and is already looking for opportunities to speak to students at local high schools. Last month, her diocese honored her for persistence and for her commitment to her beliefs by giving her a Pro-Vita Award. (Theresa is the youngest person to ever receive the award.) Congratulations, Theresa!