Hanna Cree, an Ambassador Girl Scout and a Chelsea High senior, has been named a 2009 Young Woman of Distinction for leadership demonstrated through service projects.

Cree was one of 10 Girl Scouts nationwide to be chosen for the honor.

“This honor completes a goal I set in the seventh grade at the Atlanta National Girl Scout Convention,” she said in a press release. “I sat in the sessions and looked at these young women on the stage describing their accomplishments, and I set a goal that I would be one of these young women.”

She earned the award for a book she wrote explaining her struggle with dyslexia to help parents and teachers become more familiar with the symptoms.

Trish Coghlan, CEO of the Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama, said Cree takes Girl Scouting as an opportunity to show leadership.

“The 2009 National Young Women of Distinction epitomize Girl Scouting as the world’s best leadership experience for girls,” she said. “By discovering, connecting and taking action, Hanna has defined what it means to be a female leader in today’s global society.”