Eagle Scouts

SOPHOMORE GENEVIEVE man who was an Eagle Scout,” Thesen said. Thesen walked into the Pets in “He looks me up and down, and he sees Need Foundation, a nonprofit an- me helping out with his daughter who is a imal shelter in Palo Alto, carrying little younger than I am and [I am] carrya stack of wooden panels in her right arm ing her pack and lighting fires and building and holding a toolbox with her left. An stoves, and he tells me that I need to join hour later, she closed her car door, a smile Boy Scouts.” of satisfaction on her face. The structures Thesen’s friend, freshman Rae of her raised garden beds were coming to- Sox-Harris, was already familiar with gether seamlessly and with them, the once Scouts and all that it entailed due to her seemingly impossible goal of becoming an brother and father’s active involvement in Eagle Scout was finally within reach. it. When Thesen and Sox-Harris decided

Troop 4057 is the first all-girls Scouts together to become Scouts, the latter’s dad, troop in Palo Alto, established shortly af- Alex Sox-Harris, helped start up the Palo ter Boy Scouts of America officially began Alto girls’ troop, Troop 4057, as a separate allowing girls into the organization in early 2019. Consisting of 25 girls divided between two patrols, the troop met on a regular “It takes some courage to stand up in front of a group of people and entity within the larger Palo Alto Scouts establishment. Through word of mouth, the troop grew well,” Hakeman said. “There were quite a few girls that joined at the same time that I basis for local outings lead them and tell them rapidly. did and as the founders, so I felt like there in the Bay Area and annual Scout camps what to do. I’ve found Coed transition was a really strong and supportive community of other girls right off the bat who were across California before that I’ve grown a lot Though girls interested in pushing past those boundarthe pandemic forced a transition online. more comfortable joining Scouts is no longer a rarity, ies.” While the boys and girls usually have

Thesen was not being a leader.” the majority of their own separate local outings, the two immediately interested the organization groups participate in the annual camps towhen she first heard — GABRIELA HAKEMAN, sophomore is still comprised gether. Oftentimes, the boys far outnumber that Scouts was open- of boys. Members the girls at these camps. ing up to girls due to of Troop 4057, “We’ve been the only girls in some her unfamiliarity with the organization. including sophomore Gabriela Hakeman, of the Scout camps we’ve been to, and However, a chance encounter during a have had generally positive interactions the boys can occasionally be not so nice,” backpacking trip on Mount Whitney led to with their male counterparts. Hakeman said. “They are weirded out and a change of heart. “I think we’re pretty lucky in Palo uncomfortable with us being there, so we’ve

“While we were there, we met this Alto because the boys truly perceive us very definitely had moments where we feel like

outsiders.”

Reaching the pinnacle

Through plenty of hard work, grit and perseverance, the girls have been steadily working their way up the seven Boy Scout ranks. Thesen and Hakeman have both achieved Life Rank, the one right before Eagle, and are currently working on their mandatory Eagle Scout projects. Thesen spends time at the Pets in Need Foundation every weekend to make progress on the garden beds.

In just three years, their rapid rise is a testament to their passion and dedication. According to Thesen, it takes most people around five to six years to become an Eagle Scout, but the girls in Troop 4057 have climbed the ranks in half that time.

The Scouts are beyond excited about their futures, and eagerly await to bare the fruit of years of hard work and sacrifice.

“We’ll probably be the first female Eagle Scouts in Palo Alto and among the first in the state of California,” Thesen said.

Growing as individuals

The Scouting program has fostered the girls’ growth in significant ways. Scouts emphasize good morals like helping others and showing compassion in addition to outdoor and survival skills. The future Eagle Scouts all agree that they’ve learned valuable foundational skills which will be useful to them in the real world.

“It takes some courage to stand up in front of a group of people and lead them and tell them what to do,” Hakeman, who is the troop’s patrol leader, said. “I’ve found that I’ve grown a lot more comfortable being a leader.”

Alex Sox-Harris finds it especially rewarding to observe the tremendous growth of the youth who are involved in Boy Scouts over the years.

“As an adult, it’s really inspiring to see the Scouts, both the boys and the girls, push themselves to learn important life skills like taking care of themselves in the wilderness,” Alex Sox-Harris said. “They have a successful experience and it gets them excited about wilderness that gives them a sense of confidence that they might not have had before.” v