Cadet awarded Congressional Award Bronze Medal

U.S. Rep. Austin Scott of Georgia's 8th Congressional District presented the Congressional Award Bronze Medal to Georgia Military College Preparatory School (GMC Prep) Cadet Danica Resha.

According to the Congressional Award website, The United States Congress established the Congressional Award in 1979 to recognize initiative, service, and achievement. The program is open to all youth in the U.S. between the ages of 14 and 24 regardless of ability, circumstance, or socioeconomic status.

“Today, the Congressional Award remains the highest honor a member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives can bestow upon a youth civilian,” states the Congressional Award Program Book.

Participants who apply can earn bronze, silver, and gold certificates or bronze, silver, and gold medals. Each level involves setting goals in four program areas: voluntary public service, personal development, physical fitness, and expedition/exploration.

Danica began working on the requirements for the bronze medal in September 2021 and applied for it in December 2022. For her submission, she logged everything in a record book that was submitted for the national office to review.

“My grandmother saw the award online and was the one to originally introduce me to it and encourage me to apply,” said Danica. “As part of my records I completed over 200 hours of voluntary public service over seven months, recorded personal development and activities related to physical fitness, and attended an expedition to Stone Mountain.”

Per the requirements, Danica completed seven months of personal development and logged seven months of physical fitness. In addition she completed an expedition at Stone Mountain with her Boys Scout of America troop.

“We spent the weekend hiking up and down Stone Mountain, rappelling, exploring hiking trails and identifying native plants,” said Danica. “We also participated in troop fellowship activities, playing board games, cooking at the campsite, and exploring other activities/attractions available at Stone Mountain.”

Through her journey, Danica expressed that she learned a lot about self-confidence and how to obtain and use a new variety of skills. In addition, she enjoyed the time spent working with different communities to make an impact.

“One of my most memorable volunteer experiences was building a proper burn pit for the Morris-Little Post 6 American Legion, where they can safely burn their flags,” said Danica. “Another example of service I completed was work in Byron, Ga. to help improve Camp Benjamin Hawkins overall. When future generations attend the camp, they will have a better experience.”

Danica is now working to apply for the gold medal as part of her next step in the capital progress. For her gold medal, she will need to complete at least 24 months of community service (at least 400 hours), personal development (at least 200 hours), physical fitness (at least 24 hours), and a longer expedition.

“I’ve put a lot of time and hard work into being able to complete my records and achieve these medals. It was really cool to receive the bronze medal and I hope to continue to make an impact around the state and improve myself as I did during this experience,” said Danica.