Nearly 1,000 girls become first female Eagle Scouts

Authored by cbsnews.com and submitted by ChimeraMistake
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Becoming an Eagle Scout is a rare honor. But they don't just give it out — a Scout has to earn it. Two years after girls were first allowed into the Boy Scouts, almost 1,000 of them rose to the top rank of Eagle Scout.

CBS News spoke with some of the first young women who can call themselves Eagle Scouts.

"I don't think any of us really thought this day would come," said Kendall Jackson. "For me to be a part of that first class and say that I did it, I'm really proud of myself."

Only 6% of Scouts ever make it to the top. It takes at least 21 merit badges, a large service project and a commitment to leadership. Some of the girls were set on proving that they were just as capable of doing everything that boys could accomplish.

"As a girl, when I stepped up to leadership positions I was often called bossy, which is a terrible thing to tell any young girl who is stepping up and trying to help out a group. Scouting taught me how to be a great leader," Isabella Tunney said.

For many of these young women, scouting is part of their history.

"My brother's Eagle, my grandpa and his brother are Eagle, my great grandfather, had he not been called off to go to World War II, would have gotten his Eagle," Gabby Mayrend said.

On Sunday, the Scouts hosted an online ceremony to welcome the new group of female role models.

"Eagle Scout is so much more than a medal or an award. It's an expectation and a lifestyle. It means that you're a role model to your community every day of your life. Once an Eagle, always an Eagle," said Lyndsey Nedrow, who earned the rank with her sister, Lauren.

"Everyone that's in Scouts has a little bit of 'I want to change the world' in them," said Lauren Nedrow.

ObsidianBlackbird666 on February 24th, 2021 at 04:38 UTC »

I think there's a big misunderstanding in this thread that Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts are two branches of one organization. They're not. They don't have anything to do with each other.

Fiyafafireman on February 24th, 2021 at 03:17 UTC »

Still find the concept of girls in Boy Scouts, and boys in Girl Scouts confusing. They should just be called “scouts” if they have both genders, no?

aoanfletcher2002 on February 24th, 2021 at 02:24 UTC »

Glad to see some kids are still doing scouting, used to be if you were a Eagle and put that on a university application it was a big deal. Now nobody really cares.