Juniors Derian Herrmann and Noah Chu participated in community service projects to earn the prestigious Eagle Scout rank over the summer. As the highest accomplishment in the Boy Scouts of America organization, this achievement marks the end of their scouting career. 

The Boy Scouts of America, which serves youth from middle to high school, aims to prepare teenagers for adult life through the program. 

Chu says that in earning the Eagle Scout rank, they showed their commitment to the Boy Scouts’ values of loyalty, kindness, and bravery. 

“It was very rewarding to me,” said Chu. “After finishing my final project, when there was no more work to be done, I felt a sense of accomplishment that I had never felt before in my life.” 

Scouting Experience 

Achieving the Eagle Scout rank is a multistep process that requires a member to have already earned Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, and Life ranks in the program.  

Additionally, one must serve in a leadership position in their Sscout troop, attend a Boy Scout conference, participate in a community service project and earn 21 merit badges. 

Chu and Herrmann have both participated in the same troop since sixth grade. Before then, they were in Cub Scouts, which is the entry-level scouting group for children under 8 years old.

One of the goals of Boy Scouts is to learn survival skills. They must earn merit badges in activities like swimming, hiking and cooking. 

“In order to get that merit badge for cooking, I had to cook on a campout,” said Chu. “I had to get all the food together, plan everyone’s meals out and then cook it myself.” 

These campouts, while an opportunity to earn a badge, were also educational experiences, according to Herrmann. 

“They teach you how to be independent,” said Herrmann. “No one is helping you set up your tent or make the fire. So, you must learn at the beginning, and then you’re just doing it yourself.” 

While they routinely demonstrated independence and developed new abilities, Hermann was surprised by the wide range of skills they needed to acquire different badges. 

“It was crazy because on one hand I was learning how to shoot a gun in riflery, and on the other I was learning a bunch of puzzle skills for the chess merit badge,” said  

Additionally, through weekly troop meetings and group camping trips, Chu says that he formed relationships he will hold dear forever. 

“We formed a community within ourselves, and made it personal,” said Chu. “We made a commitment to help others in their Eagle Scout projects. I helped to volunteer for almost every single one of them.” 

Herrmann agreed, saying that he is glad to have met so many people. 

“I learned a lot about friendship,” Herrmann said. “I made a lot of great connections through scouting, which I  never would have thought to have made.” 

Community Service Project 

Both students planned their own service projects for their Eagle Scout rank. The goal of these projects was to demonstrate their dedication to the community and serving others. 

Chu found his project by talking to the executive director of the Semones Family Young Men’s Christian Association center, Diddy Fullbright. She told him about other people putting trash in their dumpsters, causing it to overflow. 

Chu set out to build a gate to enclose the dumpsters. He created the blueprints for his fence design and showed them to a contractor. 

“[He] gave me feedback on my design and how to best install the gate,” said Chu. “Based on his feedback, I was able to improve my plan.” 

Chu collected the materials and planned days during which they would construct the fence. Volunteers from troops around Dallas stepped in to help.  

 The construction process taught him a lot about leadership, according to Chu. 

“I learned that leadership required two things,” said Chu. “To have success, you need to have flexibility and an open mind. I realized I can’t have a structured plan and expect nothing to go wrong. I needed to always be flexible and go with the flow.” 

Herrmann reached out to the Texas Master Gardener Program, a nonprofit tied to Texas A&M University that works to educate the public about horticulture and gardening throughout Texas. They asked him to help make their R&B1 Urban County Farm in Dallas compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.  

He did this by planning and organizing the installation of a portable ramp and gate to the garden. “[The] task revolved around me having to tell people what to do and how to do it,” said Herrmann. “It was a really good learning experience on how to be in a leadership position.” 

Life Lessons 

Herrmann still remembers when he first decided his dream was to become an Eagle Scout. 

“I was in the car with my mom after school and she was telling me how big of a deal Boy Scouts was,” said Herrmann. “I thought ‘that’s going to be me,’ and decided from then on that I would work to become the best Sscout I could.” 

Now that he has accomplished this dream, he says he feels an immense feeling of satisfaction. 

“I’ve been working for this for years,” said Herrmann. “Throughout the entire pandemic, I was working hard to get my ranking up. Now that I finally have it, I feel a sense of accomplishment, which is something I haven’t always felt in everything I do. This just shows how important this was to me, and I’m so grateful that I was able to get it done.” 

Both Chu and Herrmann agree that they learned important life lessons from their experiences.  

“I learned that even if you’re scared to go out and do something, you still have to do it,” said Herrmann. “There was a lot of things like merit badges where I was scared to do it and I wasn’t sure if I could, but I pushed through that and eventually reached my goal.” 

Chu stressed the specific skills he learned. 

“I learned how to cook in Boy Scouts,” said Chu. “I learned skills in first aid and outdoor survival.” 

Notably, Chu and Herrmann were the last of their troop to reach Eagle Scout rank. With no new members, the group has been forced to dissolve. 

Going forward, both students say they would like to continue using what they learned in Boy Scouts and their service projects. 

“I still help a lot with community service,” said Chu. “I work with the Love Packs Organization, which is a nonprofit that gives food to the people who can’t afford it.” 

Herrmann also participates in community service and says he will always remember what the Boy Scouts taught him. 

“I want to continue to try to be a leader and continue to help others at all times,” said Herrmann. “I want to follow the Scout Law and Oath and make sure I’m being true to what a Boy Scout is.” 

This article appears in the Sept. 30, 2024 issue of the Evergreen Print.