Female Eagle Scouts: For the first time, girls were eligible to be Eagle Scouts – and nearly 1,000 achieved elite status

“By earning the boy scout position, young people acquire new skills, learn to overcome obstacles and demonstrate leadership among their colleagues and in their communities,” said a BSA statement sent to CNN. “These benefits are priceless, and we are thrilled that they are now available to boys and girls.”

It is not easy to become an Eagle Scout

Becoming an Eagle Scout is a rigorous process. A candidate must earn 21 merit badges, varying in subjects, from first aid to business, assuming leadership roles and executing a major community service project. All of this must be done before turning 18.

Because of the difficult requirements, only 6% of Boy Scouts become Boy Scouts, the BSA told CNN.

As the girls were only allowed to join the organization in 2019, some like Maine resident Mia Dawbin, who turned 18 on January 3, faced a time crisis. She noted that the organization’s older girls had to “have a plan” to end as quickly as possible, although some have been given deadlines due to the pandemic.

Being at the BSA was “kind of in the family,” said Dawbin. Her father and uncles were Boy Scouts, and her grandfather was the Scoutmaster. Like Johnston, she attended BSA events with her brothers as she grew up.

Earning badges and completing projects became difficult, as the Covid-19 pandemic limited personal activities. Some adapted their projects to help others during the pandemic: Johnson organized a food and donation campaign for the New Hampshire Humane Society, Dawbin donated 201 packages of mask care and hand sanitizer to local homeless shelters and Ysa 17-year-old Duenas from Chesapeake, Virginia, made foot-operated hygiene machines for their local YMCA.

“I was just trying to make sure that I’m doing my part to help keep the community safe,” said Duenas.

They faced doubts about why they would like to be Boy Scouts

In addition to completing difficult tasks on a limited schedule, girls in this class faced an important barrier: being among the first female girl scouts in the BSA. Lauren Krimm, a 19-year-old from Maryland, remembers facing resistance from colleagues who questioned why she would like to join the BSA as a girl.

The most painful comments, she said, came from other girls.

“I had to open the way, I had to open the way and prove that we can do this and that we are going, they, no matter how much the others retreat, we will continue to move forward,” said Krimm. “Of all the people that I thought would have given me a reaction, this was the last group of people that I expected.”

Dawbin said she also faced criticism, recalling a time when she was 14, when her parents questioned why a girl was a member of the Boy Scout camp staff.

Duenas noted that when she joined the BSA, she was overjoyed at the prospect of spending more time with her male friends. This excitement was short-lived, as she said the boys “didn’t want me there”.

Instead, she found camaraderie with other girls in her troop.

“It was a little heartbreaking, but it really fed me because I was like, ‘Well, if you don’t want me here, fine, but I’m going to do the same thing you’re doing, but better,'” Duenas said. “Being able to have that community of, you know, strong, independent women who were able to manage themselves, strengthened me.”

And they hope to encourage other girls to follow them

Culinary skills, time management and improved communication are just a few of the BSA lessons that Girl Scouts said they will take with them in the future. Along with these skills, comes the prospect that other girls will be able to follow in your footsteps.

“If you have the ability to get in, join and do your best,” said Johnston. “It won’t always be easy, you can face some resistance, but I really hope it will be easier for future girls.”

“Not everyone is going to be super excited about everything you want to accomplish in life, but you don’t have to care about people who are saying that you can’t do something or that you shouldn’t,” Dawbin said.

While hoping that their achievements will encourage younger girls, these women said that the most memorable and enjoyable parts of becoming a Girl Scout did not come from being the first.

Instead, they will remember the hard work involved and the community they found by being part of the BSA.

“I didn’t do it to appear on TV, to be interviewed and to go down in history. I did it because it is something I always wanted to do, something I knew I would be proud of and that nobody can take something from me,” said Krimm.