Reagan Raphael, a senior in high school and passionate advocate for inclusive design education, is making waves with her Girl Scout Gold Award project, NextGEN Design. Recognized as the highest achievement in Girl Scouting, the Gold Award honors young women who identify a need in their community and lead a sustainable project to address it.

Raphael, who has long nurtured a passion for creativity—ranging from art to robotics—chose to merge her interests and skills to help others, particularly young women with limited exposure to design fields. She focused her efforts on Wesley High School, an all-girls institution in Dominica that her mother once attended.

Through NextGEN Design, Raphael created and led an engaging initiative that introduced students to the fundamentals of design thinking and Computer-Aided Design (CAD). She developed a comprehensive educational website that includes lessons on the design process, CAD account setup, design templates, beginner to advanced resources, and content on 3D printing. The site can be accessed at: NextGEN Design Website

In addition to the website, Raphael facilitated live Zoom workshops with the students, offering hands-on CAD demonstrations using TinkerCAD, sharing her personal design experiences, and fostering active discussions to inspire creativity and confidence.

The culminating goal of her project is to enable students to bring their digital designs into the physical world. To that end, she is spearheading an effort to donate a 3D printer and essential materials to the school. She has created an Amazon storefront to gather these items, which will be shipped to Dominica via WeForward. Supporters are invited to contribute by purchasing items directly from the list: Amazon Wish List

Raphael hopes her project will help bridge the gender gap in design and empower the next generation of female innovators. “My ultimate goal is to empower the generation that will design the future,” she said.

Reagan Raphael is the daughter of Mayma Raphael of Dominica Gourmet