FLEMING ISLAND — Looking up at the ceiling, patients at the University of Florida’s Child Advocacy Center now see a whirl of emotions. 

Colorful images of positivity, relief and hope. For Emma Schlotthauer, this is important. 

“They can share their own story,” she said.

It’s all a part of Schlotthauer’s Girl Scout Gold Award project. 

To receive national recognition, she and many other prestigious scouts were tasked with completing a project to either fix an issue in their community or make a lasting change in the world.

Schlotthauer said her project focused on providing an outlet of healing for victims of child maltreatment.

In what she calls empowerment tiles, young patients were able to use their mind, vibrant paint colors and a brush, to paint a ceiling tile reflecting their personal journey to peace.

By partnering with the school’s First Coast Child Protection Team, Forensic Pediatrics Division, Sexual Abuse Treatment Program and a therapy coordinator, Schlotthauer said her project was incorporated into therapy sessions, acting as a creative outlet for patients to express their feelings and emotions in real time.

“I wanted them to be able to see the positive sides of the world, rather than just being weighed down by the negative things in their life,” she said.

Schlotthauer said she initially painted a few tiles herself to get the project started, gathering most supplies from Michaels and The Home Depot. Once the venture began, she said supplies were continuously donated through First Coast Healing Hands, a local nonprofit also dedicated to battling cases of child abuse and neglect. 

She said that maintenance workers helped to install the tiles throughout exam rooms and therapy offices — so when the children look up, they are surrounded by pieces of joy to brighten their day. 

The once white ceilings are now brightly stained with written Bible verses and images of animated characters like Moana and SpongeBob. She said one patient even painted a "healing" dress.

“For her tile specifically, what she had [was] this rainbow dress, [that] signified her healing dress and the dress that she felt helped her best get through her situation and the dark times,” Schlotthauer said. 

She said the overall project took nine months to complete. 

“The therapist tells me that the children come in and comment on being able to see their tile and see that that's a piece of their art, and their resiliency path,” she said. 

She said the project garnered impressive results. 

Schlotthauer said she put together a post-survey the therapist could use while implementing the project into the sessions, asking questions like what the children hoped to get out of the activity.

Before the project, Schlotthauer said 82% of the victims felt stressed. After completing the tiles, 90% of the respondents reported the opposite, she said. 

“There was a significant reduction in the levels of stress,” she said. “ And then also at the end of the project, 100% of the respondents felt positive and empowered, which was exactly what my project aimed to address. So, [it] definitely was a success.”

On April 6, Schlotthauer, along with several other scouts, were presented with the prestigious award during a ceremony at Florida State University. The Gold Award is the highest honor a Girl Scout can achieve. 

As a current senior at Fleming Island High School, Schlotthauer said her future is bright: She is planning to become a pre-medical student.

Impacting the lives of young children will continue to fuel her on the path to reaching her status as a pediatric trauma surgeon. 

She said her project will always have a special place in her heart.

“It was something that was so meaningful to me,” she said. “Just knowing that it was so rewarding to be able to help a group of children, but then to kind of see the impact that this project had not only on the children, but also on myself and being able to kind of find the value of life,” she said.