CAMBRIDGE, MASS. (WHDH) - It was only recently that the Boy Scouts of America allowed girls to join and it did not take long for some impressive young women to break barriers.
Snowsports, biking, and hiking are all activities 15-year-old Cambridge native Kavita Trivedi has been doing with the local boy scout troop since she was in first grade.
Her troop allowed Kavita to participate informally at first. Then two years ago, Boy Scouts of America allowed girls to officially join its programs.
“I joined right in,” she said. “Earned a bunch of badges because I knew all the skills so it was pretty easy to catch up.”
Now known as Scouts BSA, the organization estimates out of the 25,0000 scouts in Massachusetts, about 2,000 are girls.
At just 15-years-old, Kavita is among an even more exclusive group. She is among the first nine girls to earn the level of Eagle Scout.
“It was my dream,” she said. “I really was excited.”
Only about 6 percent of scouts make it to the Eagle rank.
To do so, Kavita had to earn at least 21 merit badges, take on leadership roles within her troop and community, and complete a large community service project.
For her project, she put together a YouTube teaching series on urban environmentalism. She had planned to teach it in person at her local community center until COVID-19 hit.
But, just like so many have done throughout the pandemic, Kavita adjusted and adapted, and now, is making history.
“I’m really proud of myself, it’s really exciting. But, I’m also really proud of all the support I’ve had and all the movement forward, and it’s a big accomplishment for Scouts BSA.”
Though she is one of the first she certainly will not be the last. Kavita’s little sister said she already has her sights set on following in her big sister’s footsteps.
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