Teenager becomes first female Eagle Scout in Marion County

Lina Portman4 weeks ago

0 1 minute read

MARION COUNTY, W.Va (WDTV) – “It was such a relief because I finally did it,” Meleah said.

Maleah Deel achieved a feat few other scouts have achieved. She joins the company of fewer than 5 percent of Scouts who have achieved Eagle Scout status. She is breaking barriers as the first-ever woman to achieve this honor in Marion County while representing BSA Troop 120G in Fairmont. His Eagle Scout project involved leading the construction of an information kiosk at the Guyses Run fishing area. Although this honor is great, Maleah never thought this would one day be her path in life.

“It wasn’t necessarily my idea,” Maleah said. “The troop was starting up and they were going to have their first meeting so everyone could sign up. My mom said, “Hey, do you want to try something new?” This might be good for you. Then I fell in love with scouting.

At that meeting, she met Kim Holbert, the troop's founder and scout leader at the time. Holbert has been involved with Scouts BSA for more than 13 years, but she was surprised by Maleah's progress.

“To see her go from her first review board, where she could barely stumble through words, to her Eagle Review board where she came through like a champ, the growth is just from here to there,” Holbert said. “It’s astonishing.”

When Holbert was Maleah's age, she didn't have the same opportunities that Scouts BSA offers today.

“It was learning how to cook, how to be a real lady,” Holbert said. “It wasn't about learning to cook over a campfire, it was about learning to make crafts. »

Maleah knows the impending change from the Boy Scouts of America to Scouting America opens the door for more of her peers to follow in her footsteps.

“I think it's important that more girls sign up because people will realize that it's a more inclusive process and that it's okay for girls to sign up,” Maleah said. “When I joined and even now, some people will hate you because others hate change. “I think it’s fun.”