The Eagle Scout Award isn’t the finish line, but it might feel that way. What else can you do after Eagle? Scouting offers plenty of ways to stay active in your unit, help others along their Scouting trail and earn some really cool awards.
KEEP LEADING
Ever since Jacob Lowrie, 15, of Troop 336 in Fort Worth, Texas, earned the Eagle award, his main focus has been on helping other Scouts advance, including his younger brother, Mason.
Younger Scouts will naturally look to you as an Eagle to lead the way for them. Share your expertise and show them how to enjoy everything Scouting has to offer.
“I had a lot of help; I want to make sure the Scouts in the troop receive the same support I had,” Jacob says. The leadership and responsibility you’ve gained translates to serving your school, church and community, too. Jacob is a leader at his school’s FFA chapter, theater department and junior varsity band.
“Scouting helped me to work with others and have the vision to get something done as a team,” Jacob says.
KEEP SERVING
The Eagle Scout service project involves many hours to plan and carry out. It can be a monumental challenge to complete, but it can be rewarding to see your hard work benefit others — especially if that work affects future generations.
That rewarding feeling is what Ehren Braun, now 21, kept experiencing even after earning Eagle. Ehren, who was part of Troop 132 in Crystal Lake, Ill., got more involved in the Order of the Arrow, Scouting’s honor society. Through OA treks, he visited Philmont Scout Ranch, Sea Base and Northern Tier, serving at each national high-adventure base. He also served as an OA trek guide at Summit Bechtel Reserve for the 2017 National Jamboree. While serving at Philmont, he was given the opportunity to work there for the summer.
“I look at life like you have one shot,” Ehren says. “I don’t want to look back and regret not doing something.”
So he took the job improving trails for hikers and teaching Scouts about conservation. He helped construct a trail to Window Rock, which thousands of Scouts from across the country can enjoy for many years to come.
Conservation is a passion for Ehren. By doing three separate conservation-based projects, he earned a Bronze Hornaday
Medal. The BSA Hornaday awards are another way you can continue to serve by helping the environment.
KEEP LEARNING
There are more than 135 merit badges, and Ryan Hosking earned them all. The 18-year-old Eagle Scout from Troop 444 in Menifee, Calif., didn’t stop at the 21 Eagle-required badges. He didn’t stop at the 80 he had earned by the time he completed his Eagle board of review. He challenged himself to get them all.
“I learned so much by sticking with the program even after earning Eagle,” Ryan says. “It helped me figure out what career possibilities I liked and what I didn’t.”
Aviation, Bird Study, Coin Collecting, Photography, Welding — these can be hobbies and careers. You might find a lifelong passion by working on a merit badge. Take a chance and try something new.
By earning more than the required merit badges, you can receive Eagle Palms, which are bronze, gold and silver. You can pin them to your Eagle Scout medal ribbon or on the Eagle Scout rank emblem.
KEEP EXPLORING
Isaac D. Melvin with Troop 635 of Uniontown, Pennsylvania, visited the BSA’s high-adventure bases, hiking 73 miles at Philmont, paddling 168 miles at Northern Tier, working on a service project at a historic fort at Sea Base and attending the National Jamboree at the Summit.
Isaac, now 19, loves camping and being in nature. There’s a special award for that, too. He completed the requirements for the National Outdoor Awards, which inspire Scouts to camp, hike, swim, ride, conserve and embark on other adventures. He also earned a Hornaday badge by earning merit badges and leading a conservation project.
“Scouting is a broad program,” Isaac says. “There’s opportunities for you to do anything you want. If you’re willing to put in a little bit of work, Scouting will reward you.”
You can check out the BSA’s Exploring program, which delves into possible careers like law enforcement, health care and aviation. You can join a Venturing crew and plan awesome high-adventure outings with your friends. Or you can go on aquatic adventures with a Sea Scouts ship. All of these programs allow you to be in Scouting until you’re 20 or 21 years old.
“Scouting has something for anybody and everybody,” Isaac says. “I never felt like I outgrew the program. It gives you the opportunity to grow as a person and find out what your limits are.”
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