We enjoy reading about the efforts of the Boy Scouts in Westchester County. During our social media review, we have noticed several young women who are in the Boy Scouts who have completed their Eagle Scout projects.

State Senator Shelley Mayer recently posted, Great to honor Jazlyn Priscilla Fernandez at her Eagle Scout Court of Honor. Love that Troup 420 from Port Chester continues to have so many young women achieve the rank of Eagle!

Thanks to Senator Mayer for highlighting the dedication and service of Jazlyn Fernandez, who wrote the following for her eagle scout project.

“My name is Jazlyn Fernandez, and I am 16 years old. I am part of Troop 420. I started scouting at the age of 10 with my friends. I was one of 4 girls in Port Chester to join Troop 420. We joined Webelos year 2 and then met with the future adult leader, Dona Ortiz, of the girls’ Troop. Our Troop continued to grow, mainly due to the recruitment efforts of its members. All of us in the Troop contributed ideas on the Troop mascot and color. Over the last four years, I have worked on fulfilling my rank requirements and earning merit badges to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout.

“I’m very proud of myself for achieving this Eagle, which I have been waiting for since I was little. I had so many wonderful experiences in scouting. We had many campouts that were really fun and taught us valuable life lessons. I met many wonderful people and formed numerous friendships.

“I feel that as a Troop, we are a family because we work and have fun together. There were seven ranks and 21 merit badge requirements to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout. I enjoyed earning all the badges, but my two favorites have to be personal fitness and swimming. The swimming badge has helped me become a swim instructor and is soon to help me become a lifeguard.

“For my Eagle Scout project, I chose to renovate three benches at Crawford Park near the rose garden. We had to clean the benches and apply teak oil to restore them. I had the support of my troop scouts, leaders, and parents, who helped me with my project. Everything went well, and we completed my project on time. The benches looked like they had been freshly installed; they were very clean and inviting.

“This project allowed me to demonstrate leadership, which helped me become a better leader. I had to help guide and supervise each step to complete the project safely.

“Scouting has taught me lots of important life skills. I learned how to use different knots, first aid, cooking, personal management and safety. I also learned how to be a good citizen.

“Scouting has made a big impact on my life and changed a lot of things that I do. I grew up to be a more loyal, courteous, kind, and respectful scout. I will forever be grateful to my leaders, who motivated me to continue working towards achieving the rank of Eagle Scout.

“I would like to thank all my leaders, Mrs. Dona, Mr. Moe, Mrs. Lindsay, and Mrs. Yadira, for their support in my scouting journey,” wrote Fernandez.

More on the success of women in the Boy Scouts in the weeks to come.