There is a lot of speculation directed at the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) and the people who are involved in it. I vividly remember getting made fun of in middle school for being a Boy Scout and had it not been for some the advice from a leader, I might not have continued on my journey of scouting, which helped mold me into the man that I am today. I am very proud to be an Eagle Scout and there are many reasons why.

Before I go too far into my personal bit, let me explain the BSA rank system for those who don't already know. The BSA uses the steps in the advancement system to help a Boy Scout grow in self-reliance and in his ability to help others. When you first start out you are a "Scout" and the next three ranks are "Tenderfoot," "Second Class," and "First Class." In order to move up through these ranks, you must learn skills in camping, hiking, first aid, knot tying, navigation, cooking, physical fitness, fire building, wildlife and wildlife conservation and many other skills to help you become a better leader and more informed camper and citizen in your community.

The next two ranks are "Star Scout" and "Life Scout." Now that scouts know the skills, it's their turn to become the leaders and teach the younger scouts. There are many requirements, but the most prominent ones are having to take a leadership position in the troop for at least four months, earn a set number of Merit Dadges as well as Eagle required ones, and a minimum of 6 hours of community service for each rank. There are over 135 Merit Badges to choose from, but 13 of them are Eagle required and you need a total of 21 badges in order to be eligible for Eagle Scout.

Only 2 to 3 percent of every Boy Scout in the country achieves the rank of Eagle. The largest obstacle, other than the merit badges and leadership position in the troop, is the Eagle Scout Community Service Project. Scouts are required to plan, fundraise, purchase materials and then carry out and give leadership for a project that will benefit their community. This project must be approved by the organization you wish to help, your troop, as well as your council/district. Once all of the requirements are finished, you must go through a Board Of Review where members from your troop committee and one representative from the Council to determine whether or not you exemplify the ideals of an Eagle Scout.

Now there's one requirement that is in all of the ranks that I haven't mentioned yet and it's also the purpose of this article. It says "Demonstrate Scout Spirit by living the Scout Oath and Scout Law. Tell how you have lived the Scout Oath and Scout Law in your everyday life." It is a constant reminder to practice give meaning to what you have been taught. The Scout Law is how I try to live my life every day. "A Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent." The Scout Motto and Slogan are "Be prepared" and "Do a good turn daily" respectively. I do my best to follow this every day because they aren't just about bettering yourself, but also are also about being a good person to others in the community and being respectful to those around you regardless of who they are.

In addition to the lessons and incredible skills I have learned (and use almost daily), the best friends I have ever had came out of the Boy Scouts. I have hiked through New Mexico living out of a backpack with my dad and life long friends who I know are always there if I need them. I would never have met these friends had it not been for the Scouts. The best part of Scouting is that it is a community of people of different walks of life coming together and learning to be better leaders and better people.

Like I said, when I was in Middle School bullying was a problem, and me being a Boy Scout really didn't help, but one Scout Leader gave me some advice that kept me in the Scouts and he became one of my biggest mentors. He told me "when those kids are making fun of you for being in Scouts, ask them what they did over the summer. When they say not much, or that they just played Xbox a lot, you tell them that you learned how to shoot a rifle. You tell them that you learned how to make a fire and use a pocketknife, saw and ax. They will have nothing left to bug you about." Then he told me how important scouting was to him and many others. I didn't understand at the time the huge impact those words had. They didn't impact just me either. Another scout and I used his words when leading younger scouts through the ranks, and I later found out that I had helped keep some of them in scouting. Two of them just recently became Eagle Scouts themselves.

I could go on and on, but I'll leave you with this: Scouting gave me the skills I need to succeed in life and it gave me a second family that I wouldn't change for the world.

I love the Boy Scouts and I'm proud to be an Eagle Scout.