Teen Among First Class of Girls to Earn Eagle Scout Distinction

Seventeen-year-old senior Kaitlyn Macon of Sanford, NC, made history as one of the first girls in the nation to become an Eagle Scout. For her Eagle Project, Kaitlyn gave her neighbors a special gift. She led a team of volunteers who built and installed two benches and an arbor for the local community park.

The Eagle rank is the highest one awarded by the Scouts BSA, previously known as Boy Scouts of America. For Kaitlyn, receiving this highly respected award also earned her a place in a family legacy that was not previously possible, simply because she was a girl.

Kaitlyn now shares the Eagle Scout title with her father, Shannon Macon, and her two cousins, Eli and Benjamin Edwards. The family legacy began with Kaitlyn’s grandfather, Steve Macon, a former Scoutmaster, who passed his strong love of Scouting on to his family. Steve worked as a WoodmenLife Representative for 32 years, and all of his family are members. Steve’s long career shows that he lives by his values, as WoodmenLife emphasizes community service and good citizenship, the same basic tenets as the Scout Spirit.

When asked what it means to show the Scout Spirit, Kaitlyn, a bright, energetic teen with a robust sense of humor, gets straight to the point. “Being trustworthy, being nice to anyone you meet, giving a helping hand where you see fit, not throwing tantrums if you don’t get your way.”

An Elite Distinction

All joking aside, it takes hard work and dedication to reach Eagle rank. According to 2019 data, 8% percent of all Scouts BSA earned the Eagle Scout rank. Becoming an Eagle Scout requires a lengthy review process, at least 21 merit badges and completion of an extensive community service project known as the Eagle Project. Many Scouts spend years earning their badges and working up through the ranks before starting their Eagle Project. Kaitlyn, however, completed all of the requirements in about 18 months.

Growing Up Scouting

Coming from a Scouting family taught Kaitlyn all about hard work and dedication. Her grandfather passed his love of Scouting on to his son, Shannon. When Shannon became an assistant Cubmaster for Kaitlyn’s brother’s Cub Scout pack, Kaitlyn tagged along.

Although she was not technically allowed to be a Scout, Kaitlyn participated in all the activities and served as “assistant to the assistant Cubmaster.” It was an unofficial title given to her by one of her mentors. The leaders of the pack gave her special patches to serve as unofficial awards for her achievements. Kaitlyn sewed them all onto a little red vest. She wore it proudly to show that she, like all the little boys, had been recognized for her accomplishments.

When she was older, Kaitlyn continued to help the young Cub Scouts as an unofficial Den Chief, a role typically filled by a Boy Scout. At 14 she joined Venturing, a BSA adventure program for boys and girls ages 14 to 20. Unfortunately, Kaitlyn was still excluded from pursuing the Eagle Scout award until the BSA admitted girls in February 2019. That was when Boy Scouts was renamed Scouts BSA.

After the change, Shannon never hesitated when Kaitlyn asked him if she could help start the first girls’ troop in their area. Working with a local church, they launched a troop of five girls, led by a female Scoutmaster, with Shannon acting as an assistant.

A Project Close to Home

When it was time to choose her Eagle Project, Kaitlyn identified a need close to home. “I had noticed, before the pandemic hit, that there was no place in the park for our elderly community, which is most of the neighborhood, to have seating at our events, such as neighborhood watch parties,” she explained.

The Eagle Project focuses on project management, rather than technical skills. Kaitlyn had to contact the community board for approvals, recruit and coordinate volunteers, and obtain supplies.

Shannon credits the project’s success to his daughter’s strong willpower. “It’s extremely hard to do what she did. You have to stay on top of it every minute, every second, because if something slips, then there goes your timeline. For anybody to do it in the time she did is phenomenal,” he said.

Encouraging Others

For other girls entering Scouts BSA, Kaitlyn is an inspiration and role model. She encourages girls to consider the Eagle Scout path. “I say, ‘do it.’ It is going to be the biggest learning experience of your life, and you’re going to get so much more out of it than you think. You’ll learn so much from Scouts and get so many life experiences.” Kaitlyn has proven what has always been true — that girls can soar like eagles, making the world a better place as they fly.