Jiana “Jia” Weathersby of Athens, Tennessee, has a passion for helping others – especially children in foster care or difficult home situations. She created a project to provide encouragement and resources to teens in need  and was named a 2021 Gold Award Girl Scout from Girl Scouts of Southern Appalachians for her efforts.

Gold Award Girl Scouts are high schoolers who address issues they’re passionate about by planning and implementing a project that produces lasting change in the community and beyond. It is the Girl Scouts’ highest and prestigious most honor.

Jia worked with the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Corridor of East Tennessee to support high school-aged girls in juvenile care. “I talked with the director and found what young teens needed more help with,” Jia shared, and then she got to work. “My absolute favorite part of the project was the planning and preparation.”

With the community’s help, she created gift bags and boxes, called “Be Encouraged Boxes”, filled with needed items for the young women to show love and support. Jia also coordinated resume and job interview training to help the girls build confidence and prepare them to enter the workforce. Through her outreach in collecting items for the bags, she raised community awareness. 

Jia dropping the “Be Encouraged Boxes” off at CASA.

Some of the items that Jia stocked the boxes with.

Jia describes herself as eager, hard-working, and enthusiastic, traits that helped her persevere through obstacles and learn some valuable lessons. “COVID-19 came in strong in the midst of my project and prevented me from hosting in-person training and meetings,” she said. “I had to get creative and move to a virtual platform for most of them, but the process taught me how to communicate with people across generations and in authority and how to work within a team.”

When asked to recall favorite memories from her time in Girl Scouts, Jia remembers a lock-in at a trampoline park and camping. Today, she can be found spending time with her family and new friends she’s made in college.

She loves playing volleyball, going on walks, watching Netflix, and traveling. Jia is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in marketing while playing middle blocker on the volleyball team at Piedmont University in Georgia. She hopes to pursue a master’s degree in marketing as well.

Jia is pictured here in front of a mural that reads: “The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.” – Ida B. Wells.

Jia says of this quote, “This is one of my favorite quotes that I feel is fitting for CASA. They shine the light  of truth for these youth.”

Congratulations, Jia! Visit girlscoutcsa.org to learn more about the Girl Scouts.