In my family, adulthood isn't signified by an event, but by maturity. The moment I was recognized as a man was when I became an Eagle Scout, an achievement that was accomplished by exhibiting maturity, experience and, of course, age.
A major requirement in becoming an Eagle Scout is time. For earlier ranks, a Scout must be active within his troop for a minimum period of time.The most ambitious Scout could actually reach Eagle Scout at age twelve, but this is not the age of someone who has reached adulthood. By the time I achieved the rank of Eagle Scout I was fifteen and at the end of my sophomore year in high school, after spending years in middle school and high school leading and participating in many Scouting activities. While age fifteen…show more content… By the time I achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, I was one of the most experienced members in my troop. Since my father was the Scoutmaster, it meant he was the main adult who ran the troop. He was expected to attend every event and, as his son, I was expected to attend alongside him. The more events I engaged in, the more experience I gained. I learned countless things participating in events that ranged from regular meetings and campouts to fun events like bowling nights and blacklight dodgeball all the way to the more responsible events such as flag retirement ceremonies and National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT). I learned some fairly impressive skills, such as how to construct a personal flotation device, as well as some very broad skills, such as how to work alone or in a group. During NYLT I gained the most experience that aided me in becoming the man required to be an Eagle Scout. There I learned how to lead my patrol through our tasks, how to deal with unexpected problems, how to be more adaptable, and how to be a better follower, because as our program director would always say, a leader is nothing without those who follow him. All of these experiences convinced me to run for the position of Senior Patrol Leader of my troop the day after I became an Eagle Scout. I won that position and held it throughout my Junior year, which is arguably just as great an…show more content… The best known requirement for any future Eagle Scout is the Eagle Project, which requires the Scout to design and carry out a project to benefit his community. The Scout shouldn't work on the project, but must effectively lead others to its completion. The Scout must have knowledge about the project and the requirements to complete it, as well as a certain level of maturity and discipline to be able to lead one's peers, and not be swayed by them. To complete my Eagle Project, I had to engage in countless hours of community service. As a Scout, I have participated in over 500 hours of community service and, in helping to lead others in many of these service projects, I had to learn how to handle a variety of different situations with a level head and a rational thought process, often making decisions for the group that could change the project entirely. In these situations, thanks to the maturity I exhibited, I was trusted to make the best possible decision for those who were helping, often going the extra mile to do the best job
