As a new year presses forward, I love celebrating goals achieved. I’m especially impressed by young people who see something they really want to achieve, set a goal, and work purposefully towards that goal.
My nephew Brady did just that. He watched his brothers achieve their goal of Eagle Scout and, in his competitive way, he looked for a way to achieve that goal… and faster. And he did.
At his recent Eagle Court of Honor, Brady’s Scoutmaster related his first meeting with Brady last year. Brady’s family moved to a new neighborhood last February. At 11-years-old and already on his quest to reach the Eagle rank when he was 12, Brady shook the Scoutmaster’s introductory hand and said, “Hi, I’m Brady. I’ve just earned my Star rank. I’d like my Life Board of Review to be on May 23rd and my Eagle Board of Review to be on November 7th.”
Surprised, his new Scoutmaster just said, “Alright.” He said in the back of his mind, he wondered if those dates were for real. He continued, “It was only after a few weeks of getting to know the Bushmans that I understood this sibling rivalry going on and why those dates were so important.” The stake ultimately accommodated Brady’s intentioned date requests, even convening a special meeting for Brady.
I asked Brady and his parents if I could post Brady’s comments on receiving Eagle Scout. I liked how he recounted identifying the prize and how that drove him to work intentionally towards his goal.
The Road to Becoming a 12-Year-Old Eagle Scout
The following are the words of Brady Bushman:
I have really enjoyed scouts over the years. It has been a really fun experience and I encourage everyone to do the scouting program. As soon as I turned 8 and started with Cub Scouts, I loved it. I have always wanted to earn the Eagle Scout award. I have had some good examples of Eagle Scouts in my family. My dad and his brothers are Eagle Scouts.
My older cousins and siblings are also Eagle Scouts. In fact, my cousin Kyle was the first to earn his Eagle and did so at an early age. That inspired my older brother Austin to earn it sooner in age than Kyle, and he did. Then, my other brother Connor wanted to earn it sooner than Austin, and he did. I really like competition and because I also really like Scouts, I decided that I should try to earn mine sooner than Connor did. Connor earned it so fast that there wasn’t much leeway with my advancement schedule. With the help of my parents and leaders, I was able to beat Connor by 12 days!
As soon as I turned 11, I started to earn merit badges and go on campouts. My dad was scoutmaster and that really helped because I could go with him and the troop. I went to 4-5 pow-wows at BYU and in the Stake when I was 11. Those helped me earn most of the required merit badges before I turned 12. My dad was released as Scoutmaster, but the other Scoutmasters were really great and helped me along the way to completion.
To read more of Delisa’s articles, click here.
My inspiration for my Eagle project was my cousin Brooke. She receives treatment at Shriners Hospital. I called them and asked them if I could do something for them to work for my Eagle Project. They gave me some different options and I chose to collect fleece blankets, get items for their hospitality cart, and do a toy drive. They were all successful and I really appreciate the donations and time spent by those who were able to help. When I went to Shriners to drop off the donations, Brooke was there and I was able to talk to her for a few minutes. I had no idea she was going to be there, so it was really cool that she was as I dropped the donations off.
I went on a lot of campouts, but I think my favorite was our Payson Lakes summer camp that my leaders organized. I earned eight merit badges and had a lot of fun. I even won the kayak race around the lake! My favorite merit badge was Lifesaving, although I really enjoyed all of the ones I earned.
There were so many people who helped me along the way. Thanks to my mom for all of her support! She was always there to help me. Thanks to Austin and Connor for showing me a good example and for helping me out when I started Scouts. Thanks to my sister Valeska for being my biggest supporter and always being there for me. Thanks to Brother Bills, Brother Giessing, and Brother McMullin for their help and time. Thanks to my dad for being my Scoutmaster and for helping me from the beginning to the end. I’d like to give my mentor pin to my dad!
Thank you all for coming tonight and sharing in this journey and celebration!
I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have moved 64 times and have not tired of experiencing this beautiful earth! I love the people, languages, histories/anthropologies, & especially religious cultures of the world. My life long passion is the study & searching out of religious symbolism, specifically related to ancient & modern temples. My husband Anthony and I love our bulldog Stig, adventures, traveling, movies, motorcycling, and time with friends and family.
