Seventeen-year-old Elly Carpenter made history on Wednesday night when she was sworn in as Juneau’s first-ever female Eagle Scout.
Eagle Scout is Scouting America’s highest and most prestigious rank. Since its inception in 1911, only 4% of all scouts have earned the rank. For more than a century, girls weren’t allowed into the program. But that changed in 2019, when the Boy Scouts program made a historic shift to officially allow girls to join and earn the rank of Eagle Scout.
At her swearing-in ceremony at Resurrection Lutheran Church, Carpenter gave a speech. She said, though she’s honored by her achievement, she doesn’t feel like the first.
“I’m not the first female Eagle Scout because there are moms whose children are Eagle Scouts, and there are women who have put so much effort into scouting for years and years and years, and can’t get that recognition,” she said. “When I stand up here, my Eagle patch, one stitch of it is for me, and the rest are for every other woman who has not been able to claim Eagle rank.”
Carpenter’s achievement comes as girls in Scouting face pushback from the Trump administration. In Juneau, there are four Scouting America Troops. Two still only admit boys.
To become an Eagle Scout, a scout must fulfill certain requirements, like earning enough merit badges, holding leadership positions and completing a significant community service project. Carpenter’s project was assisting Resurrection Lutheran Church in organizing its audio and visual equipment.
In an interview after the ceremony, Carpenter said she hopes to show other girls in Juneau that they can also achieve the honor.
“I want them to do what I’m doing, and I want them to not feel like they’re the last woman standing or the odd one out,” she said. “I want them to feel like they belong here and that it’s normal.”
Cory Padron is the Scoutmaster for Juneau’s Troop 11. He said he hopes Carpenter serves as an inspiration to the next generation of scouts in his troop.
“I’m excited that we have the capability to provide leaders that can lead and mentor these scouts, especially our girls,” he said.
Padron said Carpenter has always gone above and beyond as a Scout. She graduated high school at just 16 years old and is now headed to college in Monaco. She is Troop 11’s 37th Eagle Scout.
