At least six teens from across Alabama are set to be part of the Boy Scouts of America’s (BSA) first class of female Eagle Scouts.
The BSA opened to both genders in February 2019, and over 31,000 young women have joined the ranks of the organization since that time. The BSA is planning a ceremony in February 2021 to honor its first female Eagle Scouts.
At least six young women from Alabama have achieved the rank, per phone calls with the councils that oversee scout troops in the state. Four have accepted coverage by local media: Julianna Hudry of Decatur; Ever Williams of Tuscaloosa, Claudia Mattingly of Auburn; and Catie Simpson of Mobile. Two others, from Blount and Jefferson Counties, will join them in the inaugural class.
Rodney Cousin, executive director of the Montgomery area Tuckabatchee Council of Boy Scouts, informed Yellowhammer News that zero accommodations were given to make the rank of Eagle Scout easier to achieve for female scouts; each young woman earning the honor faced the same level of challenge that the young men did.
Eagle Scout is the highest rank achievable by members of the Boy Scouts of America; only around 4% of those who join ultimately earn the designation.
“Really it’s just a lot of hard work and motivation you have to have, and that is probably why so few people get it,” Ever Williams of Tuscaloosa told WVUA.
Cousin noted that most young women who have joined troops in the last two years are from scouting families; their brothers or fathers were involved with BSA.
“My dad and brother are both Eagle Scouts so I have been familiar with the award for as long as I can remember so I definitely wanted to try to match what they have done,” said Catie Simpson of Mobile in a release.
“But the real reason I wanted to be a part of Scouts BSA was to prove to myself that I could set a big goal and then work hard at it until I succeeded,” she added.
To earn the rank of Eagle Scout, the individual must earn at least 21 merit badges and complete a large community service project.
According to the Decatur Daily, Claudia Hudry of Decatur spent 275 hours on her service project, which involved setting up a medical treatment room at a foster care facility in Danville.
“From the time I was little, I knew I wanted to be a doctor. Everything I have done has been working to achieve that, including volunteering in Decatur Morgan Hospital’s post-anesthesia care unit,” Hudry, who wants to attend West Point Military Academy, told the Daily.
Bill Gosselin, director of the West Alabama area Black Warrior Council of Boy Scouts, told Yellowhammer that there were multiple other young women in his area poised to become Eagle Scouts in coming months, and the integration of female members had produced positive results for the organization – a sentiment echoed by other Scout leaders with whom Yellowhammer spoke.
“I get to make the path. I get to help other girls be Eagles as well. It’s rewarding, and I’m proud of myself,” Claudia Mattingly of Auburn told WRBL about her accomplishment.
Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@new-yhn.local or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.
