A few weeks ago I wrote a blog post Don’t Forget – Most Commonly Skipped Eagle Requirement, which talked a bit about how to write the Eagle Statement of Ambitions. I want to expound on that requirement a little bit today.
I have served as an District Eagle Coach and have sat on hundreds of boards of review and read the Statements of Ambition for those Eagle candidates over the years. I can honestly say that all of them are very different. This is one of the funnest things for board members to read and it gives them insight to what kind of scout and person the candidate is. It is very obvious that some candidates have spent the minimum amount of time writing and thinking about what they put in that statement. Some are very thoughtful.
I remember one in particular had a statement that said he wanted to be the President of the United States. I thought, wow! What a bold statement from a 17 year-old. When he came in for the review, we asked him about it. He was very serious and we found out that he had plans to make that happen.
You should think of your board of review like a job interview. You are trying to show the board that you are the right candidate for the job, which is attaining the rank of Eagle.
Your Statement of Ambitions should be a minimum of two pages. The first page should be a double-spaced typed letter of what you want to do with the rest of your life. This should be really easy for scouts to write. I think of the movie “A Christmas Story,” when Ralphie is in school and his teacher tells them they need to write a theme. They all moan! Then when she tells them the topic, “What I Want For Christmas,” they all get very excited and want to do the assignment. Scouts should feel the same way about this “theme.”
I have seen scouts write as little as 2 sentences or as much as 3 pages. It should be 1-2 pages. Also, you should use the spell checker on your computer and have your mom, dad, or scout leader proofread it to polish it up to look good before it is turned in with your paperwork.
This first page is where most scouts stop. That is only half of the requirement. It also says to include a list of any leadership positions you have held over your scouting time in anything. This includes school, band, church, work, anywhere!
Also, you need to include any awards you received while serving in these leadership roles. If you earned your Duty to God at church, list it. If you won high honors in your band at school, list it. Basically this is a “brag sheet” of all your accomplishments while you were a leader. Most scouts either forget to add this or don’t feel comfortable bragging about themselves.
In the real world when people are interviewing for jobs, they present a resume to potential employers to show off their skills and list all the great things that they know and have done. This distinguishes them from all the other job candidates and proves they have the necessary skills to be there and do the job. An Eagle Board of Review is no different. You are a candidate for the Eagle Rank at the time of your board. Present yourself it the best possible light.
