In my life, I have overcome adversity in many ways. One particular experience was when I was in the Boy Scouts. My journey in the Boy Scouts was an overall good experience. However, there were certain times that I did not get along with the others and in turn they did not fancy me. This was due to the fact that I was not like them because of certain backgrounds. Many of the other members went to public school, and not into religion as much as I was. In turn, I was brought up in a private, catholic school and family which made me stand out more as I did not understand the certain nuances of their background. I was always looked down upon, as I did not fit their mold of what a scout should be like and go about their life. However going through this process of adversity and not fitting in with them, made me into the person that I have become today, a leader.

As I began my adventures in scouting, I was not really into the whole idea of camping and being out in the wilderness. Being out in the woods was to me dirty, and not clean for any aspect of the medium. I was not comfortable with outside style toilets, or even sharing tents with other guys. But as I went on more camping trips to the woods, I was able to put up with the discomfort as it was only a short time and I knew that in a few days, I would be back home with indoor facilities.

My first camping experience was when I went to a place on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. We went out on a Saturday, with the troop, and set up camp by a large lake. Camping gear in hand, we ventured out toward the sand dunes and started to set up camp by the woods near the shore. As I looked around at the vast wilderness and large lake, I started to see why people enjoyed nature and its realm. It was pure beauty, and nothing could take away from this natural element of awe. We then started to make camp, with building a fire pit, setting up our tents and unpacking all the items we had brought along for the weekend. I never caught on to what being prepared truly meant as I never did anything like this in my life before, and so I did not bring as much as I should have for my first campout.

The other guys in my troop, who were more experienced in the whole camping atmosphere, had all the fancy flashlights, and tools needed for camping. I myself always thought that I would one day be able to have those nice and comfortable items many the others had. But for this time, my first camping trip, I was stuck with the bare minimum, and that was fine for the time being. Being prepared was a point of interest to me as it was after all the motto for the Boy Scouts. Making sure you always had the tools and items whenever and wherever you were was always key to have as you never knew what could happen or if you needed something that you should have brought. Nevertheless, I quickly grew into the scout that I should be and become more aware and in tuned to what I should have in life to be prepared.

The Boy Scouts shaped me into who I am today. Being prepared for situations and learning how to work with others who might differ from you are all the key lessons that I learned from this experience. Not only did I learn the interpersonal skills, but also survival skills as well to better myself and to always know that I can be counted on to do something in time of adversity. The way that scouts makes you into a man, has much respect in the world today. Even if you were never achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, some of the leadership skills and people skills will still rub off on you as you went through some motions of scouting. These skills will last you a lifetime and make you a better person overall.

As many people understand, scouting can change you, shape you, and have a sense of trustworthiness that shows in everyday life. If you are of these characteristics, you can go far in life. Without these, many might not get the sense of diversity, and become a leader as the way I did in scouting. Among that, scouting changed my life when I was younger, and the life lessons I have acquired in my time with the Boy Scouts, will always stay with me. And with that, I will be ever grateful that I joined many years ago, and kept with it until the end and got my Eagle Scout in 2013.