Q&A: Female Eagle Scout talks scouting, project

Without the accolade of being the area's first female Eagle Scout, Megan Scruggs probably would have been under Clovis' radar. And the 18-year-old would have been fine with that.

This is the Scruggs family's second time at Cannon Air Force Base, with other stops including Portugal, California, Alabama and England.

The transitions never took a toll on Megan's education because she has always been homeschooled, and being in a place where she knows few people isn't a problem.

"I'm really quiet," Megan said. "I don't like getting much attention, so it's not a challenge for me."

The Eagle Scout rank is the highest a scout can achieve, and became an option last year when girls were allowed into Scouting BSA. Among the requirements for the Eagle Scout rank are at least 21 merit badges -- Megan has 22 -- and a community service project. Megan decided to create a catalog of veterans laid to rest at Clovis' Lawn Haven Memorial Gardens.

The window for this year's Eagle Scout class began Oct. 1 and runs through Feb. 8.

Megan spoke with The News in a Zoom meeting last week to discuss scouting and her project.

What is your experience in scouting? Had you done anything in other organizations, or was Scouting BSA your first foray?

Scouting BSA was my first step in the door. It was in England when I went to a meeting with a few friends. I really didn't know what scouting was at first. They invited me to this meeting, and I helped found the troop.

What is involved in founding a troop, since you've founded two of them (including 733G in Clovis)?

I just had to cooperate and work with a team with other scouters - keep people motivated, honestly. Five people is the minimum (to start a club).

What was your favorite merit badge and why?

My favorite merit badge was pioneering, just because of the teamwork ... and how people communicated. We got to see a structure built in the end. It felt like we accomplished something; it was great.

What made you land on the veterans project?

I decided on this project because I wanted to give back to the community in a way I knew was meaningful to them. Someone came to me with the idea of indexing the veteran graves. I ran with it because COVID restrictions allowed it to happen. There were 17 acres there. It was an easy project. Well, not an easy project, but it was good to do.

Would it be fair to say the tasks were easy, but the difficulty is how many times you had to do those easy tasks?

It was time consuming. We spent a total of 240 hours on this project.

Without criticizing whoever did records before you came in, what was the biggest thing you had to fix when creating your catalog?

Just (the number of) missing veterans, that's all. There were over 200 missing in the documents.

What does your catalog include?

First name, middle name, last name, what branch they were in, their conflicts. It's just an Excel spreadsheet.

Is there any information you didn't get to include that could be added on, should somebody want to do it for another community service project?

No, but it is a flexible thing. It's in Excel, and we handed it over to the beneficiary in the end. She can edit it.

You're planning to go to Louisiana State. What are your plans there?

I plan to study chemistry, biology and ecology. After I graduate, I'm going to go in for further education for distilling alcohol. My family's business is a distillery.

Was there anything during your scouting time that you think will help you in your college time?

No, I've been pretty set in my ways.

What would your advice be to other scouts who were in your position?

Just be brave, be confident in your ability to goal-set, and you'll be able to accomplish what you want to.

- Compiled by Editor Kevin Wilson