A Farmingdale High School senior has become the youngest person ever honored through the New York State Assembly's Women of Distinction program. Madeline Ortiz received the recognition for a seat belt safety campaign she built as her Girl Scout Gold Award project, according to the Farmingdale Union Free School District.

The district shared the news on November 4, 2026. The award was presented by Assemblyman Michael Durso, who represents the Ninth Assembly District, which includes South Farmingdale, Massapequa and communities along the Great South Bay.

One Strap Can Save a Life

Ortiz titled her project One Strap Can Save a Life. It advocated for stronger seat belt policies and for strengthening the state law that governs them, the district said. She completed it and earned the Gold Award earlier this year.

The Gold Award is the highest honor in Girl Scouting. Girl Scouts of the USA describes it as an award for high school Girl Scouts who identify a problem in their community, research it, and carry out a project with a lasting effect. Girl Scouts in Farmingdale and the rest of the county work through Girl Scouts of Nassau County.

Why seat belts, in New York

The subject has deep roots in this state. New York was the first state in the country to require drivers and front seat passengers to wear seat belts, with a law that took effect in 1984. Since November 1, 2020, every passenger age 16 and older, front seat or back, must be belted, according to the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee, which runs the state's occupant protection programs. Children under 16 were already covered by separate rules for car seats and belts.

What Women of Distinction is

The New York State Assembly's Women of Distinction recognition lets each member of the Assembly honor women from their own district for their contributions to the community.

What comes next

Ortiz is in her senior year at Farmingdale High School, where the district has also announced that its theater students won Best Ensemble at Hofstra University's Shakespeare Festival on October 27. Families who want to follow student news from the district can find it on the Farmingdale schools website, and Girl Scouts or parents interested in the Gold Award path can start with the Girl Scouts of Nassau County.

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