The Girl Scouts of the USA recently selected Morgan Summerton, 19, of Sunapee, as the recipient of a $5,000 scholarship for her project, Education for First Responders About Deaf and Hard of Hearing Drivers. Courtesy photo/Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains

BEDFORD – The Girl Scouts of the USA recently selected 19-year-old Morgan Summerton of Sunapee as the recipient of a $5,000 scholarship for her project, Education for First Responders About Deaf and Hard of Hearing Drivers.

Last year, Summerton’s project earned her the prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award from the Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains, based in Bedford. It also put her in the running for a national scholarship.

“It’s an honor to receive it,” she said. “There’s a lot of good projects. We’re all just starting to change the world one project at a time. Girl Scouts has taught me how we can use our voice to educate people.”

Her project focused on “advocacy for legislative changes that would allow for a disability notice on driver’s licenses or license plates, ensuring better interactions and outcomes for those in the deaf and hard of hearing community.”

The project, which took 100 hours to complete, had a personal connection as Summerton is hard of hearing herself.

She previously received a $1,000 scholarship from the GSGWM and was recognized as the 2024 Rising Star High School Student of the Year last October.

“Morgan is an outstanding example of the leadership Girl Scouts encourages,” said Patricia Mellor, CEO of the GSGWM. “As a Gold Award Girl Scout, she has worked to make the world a better place. Her efforts to create awareness of the deaf and hard of hearing community among first responders and police will no doubt save lives.”

In addition to Girl Scouts, Summerton recently completed her freshman year at Colby Sawyer College in New London. She is majoring in sports management with a minor in business management and is also on the school’s equestrian team.