A Golden Project

Marquez Alumna Unveils Mural with a Message, Promotes Mental Health Awareness

By LILY TINOCO | Reporter

Marquez Charter Elementary School hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony in celebration of the unveiling of Gabriella Wahlig’s Gold Award project—a completed garden-themed mural on the school’s campus—on Thursday, June 2.

An alumni of Marquez and recent Palisades Charter High School graduate, Gabriella said she has been a Girl Scout in Troop 2545 since fifth grade and has completed numerous community service projects throughout her years. She completed her Bronze Award with her troop by cleaning the brush area and repainting Marquez’ school sign in 2015, and she completed her Silver Award in 2017 by building a Little Library from scratch, painting it and holding a book drive for Palisades Presbyterian Preschool.

The Gold Award is described as the most prestigious award a Girl Scout can earn, and fulfilling the requirements includes completing two Senior or Ambassador Journeys, or earning the Silver Award and completing one Senior or Ambassador Journey, and a minimum of 80 hours put into the project.

“I knew I wanted to do something creative and something with art, and I had been … brainstorming ideas for my project, because I also knew I wanted to do it at Marquez,” Gabriella said. “So I [had] been talking to my third-grade teacher [Ms. Farrell] about different beautification things I could do around campus, and that’s kind of how I got the idea to do the mural.”

Gabriella’s mother, Michele Wahlig, said she spent over 150 hours on the mural project.

“After much thought, and experiencing mental health issues during the pandemic, Gabriella decided to pursue her Gold Award by addressing a lack of education regarding mental health for young children, as well as how art can be used as an effective coping skill during times of hardship,” Michele said to the Palisadian-Post. “Gabriella worked with Ms. Farrell and LAUSD [and] three different principals … in finally getting this project approved after submitting her design. Once she got the go-ahead from LAUSD, she then had to apply and interview with Girl Scout Council for their approval.”

The project was approved in December 2021, and Gabriella began painting that same month. She completed the project by February, just in time for the Girl Scout Gold Award deadline.

“I just wanted it to be something really colorful and uplifting … because it’s been difficult for the kids coming out of the pandemic and quarantine to … just socialize again or deal with any anxieties that they may have,” Gabriella explained. “I wanted it to be like an encouragement, and something that was positive so that they could look at it and just feel uplifted.”

In addition to the mural, Gabriella also made three video workshops to act as resources for Marquez’ students, offering coping skills and more.

“I am a very anxious person myself—I always have been—and I think that the earlier that these kids have the resources and the tools to overcome that, the better,” she said to the Post. “My third-grade teacher taught us a lot of things about that, like how to communicate, and how to de-escalate a situation or cope with any anxieties. I think that was really important for me because it’s definitely a useful skill, especially now.”

The Highlands resident said the project was a full-circle moment.

“It was really special, I have so many good memories at that school,” she concluded. “And since I’m graduating this year, it felt like the beginning of everything. It was really nice to give back.”