Ep 172 Hands-Only CPR: Akshara Arvind’s Gold Award Mission to Save Lives

Akshara Arvind, an EMT and cadet with the Summerville Rescue Squad, focused her Girl Scout Gold Award project on addressing the lack of bystander intervention during cardiac arrests. Recognizing that fear of disease transmission, the complexity of traditional CPR training, and low confidence keep people from acting, Akshara launched an initiative focused on hands-only CPR. She taught open-access, 20-minute hands-only CPR sessions at her local rescue squad building and adapted her training for virtual audiences via Zoom. To ensure lasting impact, she authored educational materials, posted instructional videos on YouTube, and built a website, equipping her community with simple, accessible life-saving skills.More from Akshara:I am a Girl Scout Ambassador who has been a Girl Scout for over ten years. I have greatly enjoyed being a Girl Scout, whether as a Daisy selling cookies or as an Ambassador working toward my Gold Award. Girl Scouts has offered me invaluable leadership experience and never fails to challenge me. I am very grateful for the opportunities I have had to participate in; for one, I gave a presentation on my Gold Award project at the Girl Scout You Lead Summit. In addition, over the last two summers, I traveled to Costa Rica and Iceland with fellow Girl Scouts from New Jersey. These trips have broadened my perspective and allowed me to make many new friends. As a junior in high school, I am currently looking at colleges and plan to major in neuroscience. After college, I hope to pursue medical school and become a doctor.