Girl Scout provides concussion workshops to earn Gold Award

Hundreds of youth sports coaches, parents and athletes are more aware of concussions due to a local Girl Scout’s efforts.

Ambassador Girl Scout Miranda Hernandez led workshops on how to identify and respond to concussions for her Girl Scout Gold Award project.

The Gold Award is the highest recognition girls can earn in the organization.

“As an athlete, I noticed the increasing amount of youth sport activities and also the increasing (number of) athletic events (where) no professional athletic trainer is present to address when a player gets injured,” Hernandez said. “The issue my project addressed was the increase in concussions among youth athletes and the lack of awareness about the risks of these concussions (by) parents and coaches.”

By working with school athletic directors and sports programs, she said close to 230 coaches received the information at her workshops.

“Coaches now know what to do when they believe one of their players has received a concussion,” she said. “They were given a quick action tool to help them assess the player and how to make immediate decisions on the player’s ability to return to play. The coaches also learned how to communicate the need for medical treatment to the parents and how to follow a return to play protocol.”

Hernandez said she also shared with athletes’ parents the signs of a concussion and what to do during the healing process. When speaking to athletes she explained how they can help their body heal, the importance of allowing the needed time to return to play, plus ways to work with their teachers to balance the return to school and stress of keeping up with schoolwork.

“For me, by completing this project it gave me a true sense of trust in my ability to accomplish a very long-term goal,” Hernandez said. “This is something we talk about in Girl Scouts since ... Brownies.”

The Rancho Bernardo Troop 8230 member is the daughter of Poway residents Jim and Cheryl Hernandez. The recently Academy of Our Lady of Peace graduate plans to major in psychology and neuroscience at Regis College, which she will be attending this fall on a Regis College Presidential Scholarship.

Hernandez, a third-generation Girl Scout, joined the organization 13 years ago as a Daisy. She previously earned her Bronze and Silver Awards, Senior and Ambassador Leadership Torches plus the Family of God, I Live My Faith and Spirit Alive religious medals. From 2012 to 2017 she was the top Operation Thin Mint seller in the Rancho Bernardo Service Unit and among the San Diego council’s top 10 OTM sellers.

Outside of scouting, Hernandez was named a National Hispanic Merit Scholar, High School Heisman Award winner, received the Dear Neighbor Community Service Award, named to the San Diego County All-Academic CIF Team and was a San Diego County Salute to Education Scholar.

“My life ... (has) been greatly enhanced by membership in this ... organization,” Hernandez said. “I am forever appreciative of all that my Girl Scouting experience has given and taught me, and sincerely hope that scouting can continue to do the same for young women everywhere for the next 100 years.”

As for her favorite scouting memory, Hernandez said that occurred when she attend Camp Hero in Madison, Wisconsin. “I came out of my shell and was the first to volunteer to smash in the windshield of a car,” she said. “I conquered my fear of heights by repelling down a four-story wall and loved every second of it.”

Editors note: Throughout the summer, profiles will be published of the three local Girl Scouts who were presented the Gold Award at the San Diego council’s recent annual ceremony.

email: rbnews@pomeradonews.com