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Using Photography to Empower Creativity: Sachi Goel Earns Girl Scout Gold Award
Girl Scout Sachi Goel combined creativity, education, and cultural connection through her Girl Scout Gold Award project, developing and teaching a photography curriculum for students in government schools in India.
Through hands-on lessons, students learned photography concepts such as composition, perspective, and shutter speed while exploring the idea of visual storytelling. The program introduced students to a more creative and artistic learning experience outside of a traditional classroom setting.
Sachi said the inspiration for her project came from both her connection to India and her concern that creativity can sometimes be lost in highly exam-focused educational environments.
“I was inspired by the rich artisanal art and visual culture that surrounds everyday life and history in India,” Sachi shared. “I was frustrated to see how something so vibrant felt like it was slowly fading as education became more mechanical and exam-focused.”
As an Indian American, photography has also been an important part of how Sachi connects to her own identity and experiences.
“Through photography, a medium that has always been central to my own self-expression and connection back to India, I wanted to reintroduce that sense of creativity and give students a platform to experiment,” she explained.
Throughout the project, students participated in activities designed to help them think creatively and engage more deeply with the world around them. The curriculum encouraged exploration beyond traditional academic instruction while introducing students to technical photography skills.
The project continues to grow beyond its original implementation. Students are still taking photographs, and new groups of students are continuing to learn through the curriculum Sachi created.
To ensure sustainability, Sachi designed the curriculum so it could easily be reused and taught to future groups of students. The program also remains student-led, helping continue its impact over time.
For Sachi, Girl Scouts has been an important part of her own personal growth and leadership journey.
“Being a Girl Scout has been a defining part of my life since joining in kindergarten,” she said. “It has taught me compassion and the power in lending a helping hand. Through Girl Scouts, I've learned how to be unapologetically myself while growing into a strong and capable leader.”
Through her Gold Award project, Sachi created opportunities for students to explore photography, creativity, and storytelling while building a program that continues to reach new students today.
May 22, 2026
