Personal Narrative: My Journey Of A Scout

The distinct clicking of the American Flag as it is placed in its stands starts the chorus of young voices pledging their promise,“On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight”. These words come with a special power that guided and supported me in the toughest and in the best of times.The journey of a scout is one of commitment, good ethics and exemplary citizenship as one grows to become a trustworthy leader and a person of strong character. Not without any difficulties and roadblocks along the way, I am privileged, honored and proud to have taken the journey and ultimately reached my Eagle

Scout rank in my Junior Year in High School.
Early on, while I was a cub scout, my father became ill and eventually his illness took away his ability to work and actively participate in my scout activities, I immersed myself with other adults and built the fastest go kart, the most precise Pinewood Derby racer and the best trebuchet to still do my best every day. As I understood that his disease was irreversible I decided to stand on my own feet and make a mark for myself and committed to start my journey to Eagle Scout. The long hospital stays and the quest to find a diagnosis for his illness took a toll on our family, both financially and physically. Although very sad, I still did my best every day. I had a vision, I was a young scout on the road to Eagle, and I knew that someday I would get there.
My focus was to do what I could every day to make progress on my path to Eagle so I worked hard through many leadership positions.

As an instructor I was humbled to share my passion for aviation with the other boys in the troop. I felt very excited as I taught the aviation merit badge and gave many boys the opportunity to see the world of aviation from the controlled tower of the local airport where they observed the air traffic controllers in action and then experienced flying in a Cessna aircraft. Described by adults as mature for my age, I felt ready to commit to progressive leadership roles, attended the Youth Leadership Training and ultimately was voted by the adult leaders to lead the entire troop. I was proud of my role, and committed to my very best every day as Senior Patrol Leader. I was flattered to be chosen over many others. At the time, as a junior in high school with three Advanced Placement classes and with a junior college course, I had to focus my very limited time on the right tasks. The perseverance I had learned growing up through adversity fueled me through the long working weekends. I kept focused on my responsibility to do my duty to myself and grow as a person, and do well in school while doing my duty to others. Often I had to prioritize to meet deadlines and to get my studying done to keep up my 4.5 GPA. I felt proud as I successfully lead my troop while simultaneously volunteering to coach at my waterpolo club while also working on my Eagle

Scout Project.
My Eagle Scout Project added a lot of significance to my journey to Eagle. I had been passionate about aviation since my first trip oversea and I wanted to leave my mark with my project while benefitting the Pacific Coast Air Museum. The museum, where I spent many hours learning about aviation and volunteering at their “Wings Over Wine Country Airshow”, was the perfect place to benefit from my Eagle Scout Project. A rusty old monument, in honor of a group of airmen killed in battle in the Korean War, sat on its side in an abandoned airfield. It took me over a year of planning and coordination to get possession of the monument, transport it, refurbish it, build a base for it and set it at the museum where it stands today for many to see.
During my journey to Eagle, the most powerful force motivating me every day was to get ahead in life and to see how far I could go on my own best efforts.

To light my path and to aid me in overcoming the setbacks at home, there were the words of the Scout Law that I recited over and over, and subsequently internalized into becoming my living principles. My journey to Eagle is complete but I feel that being an Eagle Scout is just the beginning of a lifetime of commitment. My passion for aviation and my desire to succeed in my career of choice along with the Eagle Scout in me will guide me to continue to do my very best every day in college and beyond to become a great aeronautical engineer and make a difference in my life, and in the lives of

others.