Manlius student receives national scholarship for exceptional Girl Scout Gold Award project – Syracuse.com
Manlius student Aanya Verma, a 2025 Fayetteville-Manlius High School graduate and Girl Scout alum, received the national Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) Gold Award Scholarship for her project “BeatHemorrhage: Youth for Maternal Healthcare.”
Each year, GSUSA selects one Gold Award recipient from its 110 councils nationwide whose project demonstrates exceptional leadership and lasting community impact.
Verma earned a $5,000 scholarship for her work addressing postpartum hemorrhage (PPH)—the leading cause of maternal death worldwide.
A former member of Troop 10410, Verma is now a Girl Scout alum and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in public health at Syracuse University. She will continue on to SUNY Upstate Medical University to complete her medical degree.
Verma’s Gold Award project raised awareness about PPH, a life-threatening but often preventable condition that affects an estimated 14 million women—about 5 percent globally—claiming 70,000 lives each year.
She founded BeatHemorrhage International, a nonprofit that promotes PPH education through a website and social media outreach.
“Being a Girl Scout has given me the space to become my true self, surrounded by girls who care deeply and leaders who believe in me,” said Verma. “Creating BeatHemorrhage was my way of carrying that strength and compassion into the world to fight for mothers whose stories are too often unheard.”
Locally, Verma partnered with SUNY Upstate Medical University’s Best Beginnings program, Crouse Hospital and CNY Women’s Health to share resources and distribute brochures outlining PPH risk factors, safe delivery planning and patient advocacy. Her outreach has reached more than 3,500 people globally.
“Aanya’s work exemplifies what it means to be a Girl Scout—using courage, confidence and character to create meaningful change,” said Julie Dale, CEO of Girl Scouts of NYPENN Pathways. “We’re incredibly proud of her leadership and commitment to improving maternal health worldwide.”
The Gold Award is the highest achievement in Girl Scouting, earned by fewer than six percent of Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors each year. Gold Award Girl Scouts collectively contribute more than 250,000 hours and invest more than $2 million annually toward lasting community solutions.
To learn more about Girl Scouting’s highest awards, visit gsnypenn.org/highestawards.
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