Photo by Erica Techo.
Mandi Gonzalez, Arabella Gonzalez and Karen Peterlin at the award ceremony.
When Arabella Gonzalez noticed smoke in her family’s apartment last summer, she knew how to act to get everyone to safety. Part of that she credits with her training and experience through Girl Scouts.
“I know that I’ve done a babysitting course, and I’ve done multiple first aid courses, and … I feel like I was prepared in the moment, like I’ve been through it a million times, how you do things in a fire,” said Arabella Gonzalez, an eighth-grader at Chelsea Middle School.
On Sept. 10, Arabella Gonzalez received the Girl Scouts of the USA Medal of Honor Lifesaving Award because of her actions in that fire. During the fire, Arabella Gonzalez heard a “pop” noise and noticed smoke pouring out of the vents in her family’s apartment. She helped alert her stepmother and brother, getting them and their pets out of the apartment in time. She also alerted their neighbors about the fire.
At first, Arabella Gonzalez said the whole situation seemed surreal, but she did not hesitate to act.
“I seriously ran out with no shoes on,” she said.
While Girl Scouts taught her how to react in a fire or emergency situation through classes and safety tips, Arabella Gonzalez said she hopes her firsthand experience can provide further guidance to Girl Scouts.
“Now, with other girls, I can tell them what it’s like in the real-life moment,” she said.
During the award ceremony at the Kanawahala Program Center Girl Scout Camp in Chelsea, Arabella Gonzalez was recognized in front of her troop, her family and friends at the start of her troop’s field-day event.
Karen Peterlin, chief executive of the Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama, said only 100 lifesaving awards are distributed each year, and Arabella Gonzalez joins a long line of Girl Scouts going out into the world and making sure others are safe.
“Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama is very proud to have Arabella as a member, and I am honored to present the award to her. Arabella is a true inspiration and example of a young lady of courage, confidence and character who makes the world a better place,” she said.
Arabella Gonzalez’s mother, Mandi Gonzalez, has been involved in Girl Scouts since Arabella Gonzalez was in kindergarten and said she is glad to see Arabella Gonzalez has become so involved and shows such passion for the organization and her role as a Girl Scout.
“It’s just a huge honor to know that she has instilled Girl Scouts in her everyday life, and being prepared and helping her family during such an event,” Mandi Gonzalez said.
Because her mother is so involved in Girl Scouts, Arabella Gonzalez said she has dreamed of growing up in the organization, including milestones such as receiving her 50-year pin. Receiving a pin such as the Medal of Honor Lifesaving Award, however, was something she never imagined.
“Honestly it means the whole world to me,” she said. “I never would have thought that I would be here right now.”
