Elizabeth Tuel grew up wanting to be in the scouts, but there was one significant problem.
Until February 1, 2019, female students were not permitted to join the Boy Scouts of America (now known as Scouting America). However, after a change in the bylaws, females were allowed in and became able to pursue the rank of Eagle Scout.
“When BSA opened up to girls, my dad encouraged me to go to a meeting, and I instantly fell in love with scouting,” Tuel recalled.
The passion for scouting showed through Tuel’s work.
In just five years, Tuel went from joining Scouting America to reaching the highest rank possible, that of Eagle Scout. To reach this rank, Tuel needed to earn at least 21 merit badges, and 14 of those badges are required to complete the process.
“To finally be able to achieve my Eagle Scout is so rewarding,” Tuel said.
“I have worked for this award for the past five years, and the fact that I can not only prove to myself that I can do it, but also, be a role model to younger girls, makes me so proud of myself and all of my hard work.”
On the road to becoming an Eagle Scout, Tuel learned many useful skills, everything from First Aid and knot-tying to character-building through leadership and teamwork.
That lesson in teamwork came in handy during the Eagle Scout project completion.
Tuel worked to beautify her church, the North Royalton Christian Church. She designed and built a garden box, painted the sidewalks around the building, planted flowers and weeded the property.
“I chose this as my project because I knew I wanted to give back to my community, and my church is not only used as a church, but also, a community area for soccer practices and city events, so I knew I wanted to do my project at my church,” Tuel said.
“I wanted my project to be helpful, and I wanted it to be unique. The helpful part was the garden and the weeding. We built a new garden bed to help with irrigation, and we weeded in the parking lot and around the sidewalks to make walking into the church more comfortable and safer.
“For the unique part of my project, I wanted to bring out the artistic side of those around me, and the uniqueness of their identities. I chose to paint the sidewalk because it was able to be sectioned off into different parts where every pair could be in charge of their own block and could display their own artistic abilities.”
To help make this project a success, Tuel received some help from her Padua classmates.
Being able to merge her work in the scouts with the Padua community made the experience even more meaningful….and also, more successful, as Tuel realized some elements of the project were above her skill set.
“When I was planning my project, I didn’t really take into consideration my lack of painting and drawing skills, so I really had to rely on my community,” Tuel said. “I was able to have the help of a lot of my friends.
“Many of my friends from Padua were also enrolled in Fine Arts classes, so I loved that my project was able to encapsulate their artistic ability and knowledge. Having the support of my friends from Padua was truly amazing, and it fully exemplified how in times of need, the Padua community can rally around you for support and encouragement.”
Tuel reached the rank of Eagle Scout at the age of 16, which is younger than most of her contemporaries.
She is the fifth Eagle Scout out of Troop 7407, and hopes her journey sets the groundwork for more female representation in scouts.
“When I first joined scouting, girls were not widely accepted, and I faced a lot of ridicule and discrimination,” Tuel said. “There were many times that I considered taking the easy way out and quitting scouts, but deep down, I knew I was capable of something greater.
“I am so proud that I am finally able to say, ‘I made it.’ For other girls to see that although it won’t be easy, it is possible with determination and hard work, I hope that by earning this award, I can help show that girls are just as capable as boys, and we deserve these same experiences that boys get.”
