COMMUNITY
New Mexico Scouts earn their Eagle rank
60 Scouts earn recognition for their achievements
Scouting America鈥檚 High Desert Council honored 60 New Mexico Eagle Scouts at their recent annual banquet.
The High Desert Council, which encompasses most of New Mexico as well as parts of Southern Colorado and West Texas, held two banquets on June 5 to honor the young men and women who had achieved the rank. Scouts and their families gathered in sa国际传媒官网网页入口 and El Paso to celebrate their achievements.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a really cool community that I鈥檓 now a part of,鈥� said class of 2026 Eagle Scout Liam Brown from sa国际传媒官网网页入口鈥檚 Unit 3. 鈥淚t shows me what I鈥檓 capable of and it tells me that I can do great things.鈥�
Eagle Scout is the highest rank awarded to Scouts in the Scouting America program. To achieve this rank Scouts must earn 21 merit badges, demonstrate leadership qualities and complete an extensive community service project. On average, only 4% of Scouts earn the rank of Eagle.
Multiple awards were also presented at the banquet, honoring Eagle Scouts who had set themselves apart in some way.
Santa Fe Eagle Scout Jared Trujillo was awarded the $1,000 Anderson Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded to Eagles the scholarship board believes have demonstrated a commitment to leadership and Scouting America values. The board deemed that Trujillo showcased these values in his community service project renovating the youth room at Santa Maria de la Paz Catholic Church.
鈥淚t has been such a pleasure to serve my community and give back to the people who鈥檝e given me the most,鈥� said Trujillo. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just something to put on my resume, it鈥檚 a reminder of the character I鈥檝e built everyday.鈥�
The renovation was a two-week long project in which Trujillo outlined and presented the plans, gathered materials and volunteers, and spent three days cleaning, repainting and reorganizing the youth room.
Class of 1967 Eagle Scout Chris Sandberg was awarded the 2026 Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. Sandberg said the award was to recognize former Scouts who continued using the skills they learned to improve their community.
Sandberg and many other attendees at the event stressed the importance of the skills Scouting taught them.
鈥淪couting will prepare you for life,鈥� said Council Service Territory 8 Director Phillip Shipley, who oversees Scouting councils in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, Southern Colorado and New Mexico. 鈥淪couting is a place where you can experience both wins and losses, it鈥檚 a safe place for a child to fail, and learn a lesson.鈥�
