By middle school, most of us have retired our patch-covered Brownie vests to the back of our closets. But junior Molly O’Sullivan still continues to live by the Girl Scout law. O’Sullivan joined the Scouts when she was four years old and has been an active member for over 12 years.

“In high school the Girl Scouts shifts from an artsy-craftsy club to a service organization,” she said. Sullivan personally has devoted dozens of hours to earning Bronze, Silver, and Gold service awards offered by the Scouts.

She earned her highest honor, the prestigious Gold Award, by creating the organization Community Impact Awards (CIA) for Students with three other Scouts. Over a period of two years, the girls developed a program with the goal of helping Northville high school students impress university admissions officers and employers

The CIA for Students gives service-based organizations access to qualified Northville high school volunteers. These volunteers, in turn, can put the hours toward the earning of a CIA for Students-issued award. These awards can be listed on college applications, so students can get the proper recognition for their hours and distinguish themselves under the “Honors and Awards” section.

Each of the four themed awards—Leadership & Mentoring, Beyond Our Borders, Northville Hometown Hero, and Good Nature—require at least 50 hours of veritable service. According to O’Sullivan, colleges recognize a CIA for Student-issued award on a resume.

The program’s website, run by O’Sullivan and her three other partners, is a private social networking site where students can create a profile and view a list of opportunities.

“It’s very student-oriented, and it’s written in language a high school kid could understand” she says.

The CIA for Students has been used by many Northville High School students as a source for service opportunities and acknowledgment since its launch in October. O’Sullivan and her fellow Scouts hope to expand the program and plan to continue running it when they graduate.