Less than 6 percent of Girls Scouts annually are awarded the organization’s highest honor.

This year, Paige Palmer is one of them. The 2019 Oxford High School graduate earned the prestigious Gold Award.

“I was so excited,” she said.

Recipients must spend a minimum of 80 hours researching the root causes of a community issue or problem and developing a lasting solution via a sustainable project, i.e. one that continues after the scout’s involvement ends.

For her project, Palmer tackled the issue of anxiety in teenage girls. She worked with a clinical psychologist to develop an informational and interactive workshop to help girls ages 12 to 18 who struggle with anxiety.

Last July, Palmer conducted two workshop sessions at the Oxford Public Library. There was no charge and approximately 20 to 25 girls participated, she said.

The workshop continues to be available to anyone and everyone via YouTube. She recorded one of the sessions and posted it under the title “Free Anxiety Workshop.” It has 178 views so far.

Palmer said she’s received “a lot of positive feedback.”

“A lot of people learned something new,” she said.

Palmer chose this topic because it’s something she’s quite familiar with and passionate about.

“I’ve struggled with anxiety for most of my life,” she said.

Since the fourth grade, her performance in school has been her main source of worry.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself to do well,” Palmer said.

Palmer said even though her mother had always told her to just “try (her) best,” she still put a lot of unnecessary pressure herself.

It was only through counseling that Palmer was able to learn ways to “manage” her anxiety.

She does everything from breathing exercises to writing. When she “can’t think straight,” Palmer said it helps to put her thoughts on paper because that “forces” her brain to “slow down.”

Although she now has the tools to cope with her condition, Palmer doesn’t consider herself to be cured.

“I still have anxiety,” she said. “I don’t think it will ever go away.”

Palmer is hopeful her project will continue helping people and changing lives for the better.

To all those people out there battling anxiety who are “afraid to seek help,” Palmer wants them to know there’s no shame in reaching out.

“It’s not a weakness; it’s a strength that you recognize you need help,” she said. “If you need help, get help.”

Palmer is the third generation of her family to earn the Girls Scouts’ Gold Award or its equivalent. Her grandmother and two aunts previously received it.

The Gold Award has been the organization’s highest honor since 1980. Prior to that, it had other names depending on the period. It’s been called the Golden Eaglet (1916-39), the Curved Bar Award (1940-63) and First Class (1963-80).

Approximately 1 million Girls Scouts have earned the Gold Award or its equivalent since 1916.

This fall, Palmer will continue her education at the University of Nebraska, where she will receive $20,000 in scholarship money annually. She plans to major in actuarial science and minor in music. Palmer plays the violin.