Grace May grew up watching her two brothers participate in Boy Scouts of America, longing to be a part of the activities and leadership opportunities they had.
Two years after girls were allowed to join Scouts, May received the coveted highest rank of Eagle Scout, just like her brothers before her.
“Both of my brothers were Eagle Scouts, so my whole life I’ve got to see them go on these crazy cool trips, and they’ve had all of these great leadership experiences that I never got to have, that I was never a part of,” May said. “Now, since they’ve let girls in Scouts, I’ve been able to have some of those same experiences.”
May, 19, of Starkville joined Scouts in February 2019, when her troop, Troop 142, the first all-female troop in the state, was chartered. She received her official Eagle Scout rank at her Court of Honor ceremony Saturday evening, being the first female Scout in the area to achieve it.
Most people join Scouts around the ages of 10 or 11, gaining the rank of Eagle Scout by the time they are 18. Because May was not allowed to join until she was 17, the Pushmataha Area Council, the Scouts council for the Golden Triangle area, granted her an extension to give her time to acquire her rank, and she ultimately became an Eagle Scout within two and a half years.
Since she was on a “time crunch,” she said she had to tirelessly put in hundreds of hours and effort into obtaining her desired rank, all while completing her first year of studies at Mississippi State University.
Being a part of a male-dominated organization, May knew she would have to work extremely hard to achieve her goals, she said. While many boys and men across the county were hesitant about allowing girls to join Scouts, she said she believes people are more accepting now, and the organization is striving to become more inclusive.
“If you had told me in 2015 that this is where I would be six years later, I would’ve told you that you were crazy,” May said.
In order to achieve Eagle Scout status, one must complete an intensive service project. Working with the Starkville Parks and Recreation Department, May created a nine-hole disc golf course at J. L. King Park in Starkville.
May also received more than 20 merit badges, awards based on completion of activities or gaining of skills, receiving her final required badge during the spring of this year. She said she is most proud of her shotgun shooting badge.
“I had never shot a gun before I went to summer camp and took shotgun shooting,” May said. “I was actually pretty good at it, so it’s something that really shocked me, but I really enjoyed that one.”
One of the assistant Scoutmasters for May’s troop, John Giesemann, said he has loved watching May grow over the years as she is paving the way for many other girls in the region to become Eagle Scouts as well.
“The difference between an Eagle Scout and the rest of the scouts is not particular characteristics or responsibilities,” Giesemann said. “It’s the willingness to go the extra mile and do a few extra things that are required to be an Eagle Scout.”
While May will officially age out of Scouts in September, she will still be involved as an active adult with Troop 142. May said she is thankful Scouts finally decided to allow girls into the organization, because not only was she able to accomplish one of her biggest dreams, but she learned skills that she will use for the rest of her life.
“Scouting has just given me new opportunities that I never thought I would have before, and I’ve learned more about myself and more about leadership in the past two years than I ever have,” she said.
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