Orginially published on Rockingham Now – April 14th, 2024
EDEN—Jenna Abou-Samra, 16, has some advice for girls considering joining Scouts BSA and working to achieve Eagle Scout.
“Take the jump; it may be hard in the beginning, but there are so many incredible people I have met along the way to Eagle, and I will never forget the things I have learned,” she said. “The challenges are far outweighed by everything you learn.”
The first two female Eagle Scouts in Rockingham County, Abou-Samra and Maria Wilson, were recently recognized at a ceremony at Leaksville United Methodist Church in Eden, along with other Eagle Scouts.
“It felt great to be the first (girls), and I hope there will be many more girls who decide to go for it,” Wilson, also 16, said.
According to a representative from the Old North State Council, Boy Scouts of America officially began allowing girls to join Scouts BSA in September 2018.
Abou-Samra and Wilson were members of Troop 7567, which was part of the larger male Troop 567. The troops met in Eden.
Neither girl was interested in joining Girl Scouts when they were younger.
“I have never been a Girl Scout, but after hearing some of my friend’s experiences, it didn’t sound like the activities they did were much in my interests,” Abou-Samra said.
Wilson invited Abou-Samra to join troop 7567, and at age 11, they began the path to Eagle together.
“Our girl troop met with our boy troop and did all the same activities,” said Laurie Wilson, who served as scoutmaster of BSA Troop 7567.
Wilson’s husband, Ed Wilson, served as scoutmaster of Troop 567.
“At first, a few of the guys were questioning a bunch of girls joining in, but it didn’t take long for everyone to become an incredibly close-knit group,” Abou-Samra said.
The girls agreed it was sometimes challenging being one of few girls participating when they went to summer camp, did activities and performed community projects.
“It was a challenge to show that we were as committed and able to complete the tasks at hand,” Abou-Samra said.
When attending campouts with other troops, Wilson recalled enduring comments in the beginning that sometimes made her uncomfortable, especially when they played games.
“The attitude was usually if we won, they would say, ‘You just got beat by a girl,’ and if we lost, ‘She’s a girl; you’re supposed to let her win,’ both of which were equally annoying,” Wilson said.
Over time, most of the teasing succumbed, and the girls felt more welcomed.
“After I got the first rank scout, I fell in love with everything we did,” Abou-Samra said.
Abou-Samra also knew that she wanted to pursue becoming an Eagle Scout.
“Everyone in my troop was there with the same ideals of making a difference in our community,” she said.
While Wilson wanted to serve and make her community better, she also had another more personal reason for wanting to achieve Eagle Scout.
“I knew I was going to have to get Eagle Scout before I joined since both my brothers and my dad had it, and in my family, the rule was we couldn’t get a phone until we became an Eagle Scout,” Wilson said.
For Wilson’s Eagle Scout project, she refurbished the tennis shelter/equipment building at her school, Morehead High.
“I played on the team and used the courts in middle school, and the whole time, the shelter was very rundown,” she said. “Teammates were scared to use the bathroom in there because of its state, there were rat and bird nests in the ceiling, mice on the ground and living in the shelves, and it was a very unsightly building.”
Wilson cleaned and painted the building, got rid of the nests, replaced the ceiling tiles, built benches, added mirrors, chairs and new shelving, and decorated the facility in Morehead High colors.
“It was a helpful project for the school and tennis teams, who assisted on the weekends and during school hours sometimes,” she added. “It was also helpful to the community, who sometimes plays there or hosts lessons.”
For her project, Abou-Samra built a memorial for 25 unclaimed cremations at the County Home Cemetery in Wentworth.
“One of the main challenges I faced was the weather, as we had to dig a spot for the box of cremations,” Abou-Samra said. “My project then consisted of leveling the ground, laying the bricks and planting our memorial garden.”
Both girls believe they learned valuable lessons working on their Eagle Scout projects.
“Having taken five years to earn my Eagle, I learned how to be consistent and persevere,” Abou-Samra said. “Through college, I can remind myself of this journey, even though it may be hard.”
Abou-Samra, who attends the North Carolina Virtual Academy, hopes to study biology in college and pursue a career helping animals. In her free time, she is usually outside on her farm in Summerfield tending to her animals, and she enjoys reading and spending time with her family. Wilson, who recently moved and now attends Orange High School in Hillsborough, would like to become a high school English teacher. She is a member of the yearbook staff and golf team at school, and she enjoys writing, cooking and painting.
Wilson will return to the Cherokee Scout Reservation this summer to serve as an aquatic instructor.
Both girls agreed they would recommend scouting to others.
“I would advise others to not just join but throw yourself into it,” Wilson said. “Scouting is definitely the part of my life that has developed me most as a person, and I would recommend it to anyone.”
Abou-Samra said she learned the type of person she wants to be.
“I learned that giving service, support and encouragement in the world is one of the best ways for me to be happy and feel accomplished, and I learned to take risks, be adventurous, how to be OK with making mistakes, and how to learn from mistakes instead of backing away,” she said. “Scouting has truly made me who I am today, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
Abou-Samra is also very proud of her and Maria’s accomplishment (achieving Eagle Scout).
“It is an honor to be first in Rockingham County,” she said. “I hope we can be an example to any other girls who want to take the path to Eagle.”
To learn more about North Carolina Virtual Academy, please visit https://ncva.k12.com/.
