Palisades High School senior Lydia Sleeper created and directed a photography program at the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Monica to receive her Girl Scout Gold Award. Her goal was to impart a new perspective to a wide range of kids by giving them an opportunity to view their world differently through a photography lens. Sleeper set up the program, designed the curriculum and raised money for supplies.’Children learned basic photography principles, terminology and skills for taking photographs. At an awards ceremony, which Sleeper also arranged, students and staff said her class positively affected their views on the world. Sleeper, a Brentwood resident, received a lifetime membership to the Girl Scouts from the Santa Monica Bay Service Unit for that achievement and for her prior service of 13 years while in Santa Monica Girl Scout Troop 5515. In 2009, she earned the Girl Scout Silver Award for organizing a ‘Love of Literacy’ project that conducted reading events at inner-city schools, built bookshelves and collected and donated more than 2,500 books. She earned the Bronze Award three years earlier by hosting a ‘Neighborhood World Thinking Day’ for more than 300 Santa Monica Scouts. As a 10-year-old, Sleeper received the Brentwood Youth Citizenship Award for her entrepreneurial success as one of the top cookie sellers in Los Angeles. Her Scouting activities have included helping lead county and neighborhood programs for younger girl scouts, participating in numerous community service projects including nine years serving the homeless of Southern California (thegivingspirit.org), and selling thousands of boxes of cookies, which has helped her troop be financially independent. Sleeper, who seemingly never sleeps, has also pursued AYSO Region 69 soccer, tae kwon do, piano, guitar, freelance writing and extensive photography work. In addition, she was the production manager for this year’s 50th anniversary yearbook at PaliHi. After completing a ‘gap year’ of service, which will include stints with Habitat for Humanity in Atlanta and The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in London, Sleeper will begin her studies at the University of Colorado, Boulder, hoping to become an architect.
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