Dublin High School Alum Joshua Hunt on the Journey to Becoming an Eagle Scout

Joshua Hunt, Dublin High School alum and Liberty University freshman, is among the 2% of Boy Scouts to earn the title of Eagle Scout. After speaking with Hunt about what it takes to become an Eagle Scout, it is not surprising that only 2% are up for the task. After moving to Dublin from Hawaii at the age of 12, Hunt didn’t know anyone in his new home and saw the boy scouts as a perfect opportunity to gain a sense of belonging and make new friends. Not only did the boy scouts provide Hunt with a new group of companions, but with invaluable life skills as well.

During his time with his Dublin Troop 905, which is student-led, Hunt participated in a diverse array of activities in the pursuit of his merit badges. Some of the merit badges Hunt earned included personal management, camping, hiking, swimming, personal fitness, rifle shooting, archery, and even fingerprinting. While most people easily associate activities like camping with the boy scouts, Hunt said, “you learn a lot of life skills from being in the scouts that many people don’t ever think of.” For example, to earn his merit badge in personal management, Hunt set a budget that he was required to adhere to for 90 days and learned about how bonds work in the process. Hunt also discovered interests and talents that he never knew he had before, like his knack for rifle and shotgun shooting. “Getting a merit badge can really help you form new interests,” said Hunt, “they can also help you figure out what kind of career you want in the future.”

Although the Boy Scouts are a lot of fun, as Hunt described, “a summer camp that never ends,” the path to becoming an Eagle Scout is full of hard work. To become an Eagle Scout, Hunt had to meet two primary requirements: earn 21 merit badges and complete the Eagle project before turning 18 years old. For the Eagle project, scouts are required to plan and develop a start-to-finish plan that has an end goal of helping the community or world in some way. Hunt decided that his project would be the creation of a pergola (a wooden shade structure) that would provide shade to children at the Trinity Baptist Church. Over a period of 8 months, Hunt worked out every single detail needed to successfully construct the pergola, which included design, what materials to get, how much money was needed, how many hours he would need from each volunteer, and how to physically build the structure. Because the Eagle Scout does not actually work on the project himself when it is being built, it is necessary that the planning beforehand is incredibly detailed. As Hunt explained, “if you die and someone picks up your plan off the side of the road, they should be able to build your project without ever knowing anything about it.” With the help of volunteers, Hunt’s pergola was successfully built over the course of four consecutive weekends. In the end, Hunt’s Eagle Scout project required an impressive 400 hours of volunteer help, including 100 hours that Hunt logged personally.

Hunt greatly appreciates his time with the scouts, and recognizes the important impact that they have had on his life. Thanks to the scouts, Hunt has become a better leader, made a lot of friends and new connections, opened himself up to more interests, and has learned responsibility and good morals. Hunt strongly recommends anyone interested in the scouts to get involved because of the important skills that are taught, and for the fun!

OneDublin.org wishes Joshua Hunt all the best in his transition to Liberty University, and is sure that Joshua will use all the skills he has learned as a boy scout to achieve great success!