Life to Eagle

There's a lot to do to advance from Life to Eagle. With school, sports and all the other activities in your busy life, it takes real commitment to complete all the Eagle requirements.

But you have help, your Eagle Advisor, who is the Troop's Assistant Scoutmaster for the Eagle Rank. Any time after you pass your Life Board of Review, set up a meeting with the Eagle Advisor and they can give you valuable advice and support.

Start thinking about possible Eagle projects. Reach out to schools, churches, charities, and other non-profit organizations and ask them for ideas. Discuss their suggestions and your thoughts with your Eagle Advisor, as their experience can assist you in making a good choice. And give yourself plenty of time to prepare your project proposal, to get your proposal approved by the Scoutmaster, the Troop Committee, the Beneficiary, and the Rose Bowl District's Eagle Advancement chair, and to raise money for the project (there is no requirement that you raise funds; it's okay to spend your own or your parents' money).

Don't delay in finishing those last Eagle-required merit badges. Remember that several require at least three months to complete: Family Life, Personal Fitness and Personal Finance.

There's lots of paperwork you'll need to complete, including the Eagle Scout Application, the Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook, a resume that summarizes your scouting career, six letters of reference (sent to the Eagle Advisor), a critique of how you did on your Eagle project, and an essay about your ambitions and life purpose. You will discuss the requirements with your Eagle Advisor. All of this is collected in a digital folder created by the Eagle Advisor, along with documentation of your merit badges, dates of advancement, and participation in troop activities.

Your Eagle Advisor will review your materials to make sure they are satisfactory, then you will have your final Scoutmaster Conference. Your Eagle Advisor then submits a link to your Eagle folder to the Rose Bowl District's Eagle Advancement chair before your 18th birthday. When all that is done, your Eagle Advisor will arrange your Eagle Board of Review.

After passing your Eagle Board, get your Eagle portrait taken, and prepare for your Eagle Court of Honor, where you'll be recognized in a special ceremony and have the chance to give a speech giving advice to the younger scouts. The Troop arranges to have congratulatory messages sent to you by the President of the United States and other public officials. These will be presented to you at your Eagle Court of Honor.

Note that there is no particular order in which to finish your merit badges, get letters of reference, and do your Eagle project. Do them in whatever order you want but note that you cannot request reference letters or start any work on your Eagle project until passing your Life Board of Review.