UNG sophomore Alyssa Yarck earns highest Girl Scout honor

As a young girl, Alyssa Yarck decided to follow in her grandmother's footsteps and be a Girl Scout. She was not alone in her decision.

"I and my two cousins were in the same troop," said Yarck, a sophomore majoring in biology at the University of North Georgia (UNG) and a recent Chestatee High School graduate. "And my Nanna was my leader … for 10 years. She was one of the big influences in my life."

Recently, Yarck achieved one of the biggest milestones of her life. The 19-year-old Gainesville, Georgia, native earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest recognition bestowed by the organization.

"It was rewarding, because I've been a Girl Scout since I was a Daisy in kindergarten," said Yarck, who took classes at UNG while in high school.

UNG sophomore Alyssa Yarck earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest recognition bestowed by the organization.

To earn the honor, Yarck revamped and updated the program called Assisting Special Kids' Needs and Other Technologies (A.S.K.N.O.T.). The program allows parents to fill out a form about their child's medical needs and hand it to a school nurse. The nurse sends the information to the 911 call center, where the information is uploaded.

"If firemen go to a school or house where the child is, they know about the child's needs," Yarck said. "They know that the ventilator goes with the child. It helps them plan better in an emergency."