Gerard founded SMILE in 2019 as a club at her school, the Quarry Lane School in Dublin.
In addition to running SMILE, Gerard documented project materials and recruited a team of student leaders to continue operating the club after she graduated in 2020.
Gerard, the daughter of Jack and Carrie Gerard of Pleasanton, was in Girl Scouts for 13 years and volunteers as a counselor at Two Sentinels Girl Scout Camp.
She obtained approval to operate the club, recruited a team of volunteer mentors and developed curriculum for 28 workshops focused on a range of topics, including environmental awareness, wildlife conservation and mental health.
The new team of student leaders adapted the program to enable workshops even while students and volunteers engaged remotely during the 2020-21 school year.
She recently completed her first year of college at UCLA.
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