‘TRAILBLAZERS’
Ridgefield girls lead the way as some of America’s first female Eagle Scouts
RIDGEFIELD — Twelve young women from Ridgefield were inaugurated as some of the first female Eagle Scouts in the nation, marking their place in Scout history.
Becoming an Eagle Scout means this group of young women has attained the highest rank possible in the Boy Scouts of America organization, only achieved by 6 percent of 2.1 million Scouts nationwide.
The group — inaugurated on Feb. 8 — earned at least 21 merit badges each for safety, civics and more, and
completed community service projects to achieve their rank. Girls were allowed into the organization in 2019.
Several of the girls said having a brother in Scouts was their connection to the program. Jordan Mooney, 16, used to watch her brother participate in soap carving or wooden car derbies and thought to herself, “that’s something I want to be a part of.”
“I’ve never really been that kid in the front. I’ve always just been kind of trailing behind everyone else,” Mooney said.
The organization has a variety of programs sorted by age and activities. Scouts often start as Cub Scouts and progress through the program, eventually graduating to the Boy Scouts of America program offered for those continuing the trek from sixth to 12th grade.
After attending a local Scout meeting, Mooney decided to give it a shot. She said she encountered hardship in trying to achieve a couple of her badges, but knowing she would be part of a historical moment, she kicked herself into full gear and got the job done.
“It’s an incredibly intensive process,” said Bob Brown, 23-year Scout and vice president of communications and marketing for the Connecticut Yankee Council.
Each Scout has to organize and complete a collaborative project as the final task before achieving Eagle status. The Scouts have to raise funds, outline schematics and recruit others to help them complete it.
Brown said it’s been “impressive” to watch these girls “blaze the proverbial trail,” from building bridges to aquaponics systems.
“They really are trailblazers,” he said. “These young women are 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and I don’t think [they] quite realize what the impact they’re having and the legacy they’re leaving on the program [is]. It’s encouraging to watch them flourish in what they’re doing.”
Evia Rodriguez, 16, said she’s “really proud” to be in the first female Eagle Scout class.
“There was a lot of hard work and dedication put into earning the rank of Eagle Scout in only two years and I think it really paid off,” she said.
Rodriguez, like her fellow Eagle Scouts, had to complete a collaborative project in her final run for the ranking. She constructed an aquaponics system for the Woodcock Nature Center in Wilton to help them further their research. The system — derived from polyvinyl chloride pipes – allows plants to grow out of water.
The Woodcock Nature Center is using Rodriguez’s system to measure the effects of aquaponics on ecosystem.
“I learned how to lead a team of people including scouts and adults and I feel like I’ve made a big impact on the world as well through my Eagle Scout project.”
Mooney echoed a similar thought and said that her project, reconstructing the Hemlock Hills hiking trail bridge in Ridgefield, gave her the platform to use her artistic skills and create a physical, tangible thing people could use.
“It’s big. I feel very honored and accomplished. I didn’t think it was as big as this until my Scoutmaster told me,” Mooney said.
Scout Gabriela Rogers said the Eagle Scout honor is something she will “cherish” for the rest of her life. Rogers comes from a long line of Scouts and was intent on championing another generation for her family, but was not able to join until she was an adolescent.
The Boy Scouts of America was established in 1910, originally offering youth development and leadership training strictly to boys. The organization did not start permitting women into its programs until February 2019, according to Brown.
“It’s a huge shift and takes a long time to make groundbreaking change like this. It was never meant to be a discouraging move to not have them, so bringing them in now did take some time.” Brown said.
“We had to figure out how to let young men be leaders amongst young men and in their own right and young women be leaders in their own way,” he added.
Rogers said she “jumped at the opportunity” when Boy Scouts of America opened its doors to girls.
“Having the opportunity to do the same thing that boys have experienced for over a century is a special milestone,” she said.
“I hope that younger girls will be inspired to join Scouting after hearing about the first class of female Eagle Scouts,” she added. Rodriguez agreed.
“I think future women are going to be able to see what we did and take inspiration from that and continue to create this kind of legacy in Scouting for themselves,” she said.