Ava Taylor earns Eagle Scout Award

Ava Taylor completed her Eagle Board of Review and will be honored at an Eagle Scout Court of Honor on September 20, 2025. Ava is the daughter of Jeff and Jennifer Taylor of Livermore, California.

She is a member of Troop 2942, sponsored by St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church. Thanks go to her Scoutmaster, Lorraine Ferguson for her dedication to Scouting and help along the way.

Ava has been active in Scouting, and she is a founding member of the first all-girls Scouts BSA troop in Livermore. Throughout her time in the troop, she took on several leadership roles, including Senior Patrol Leader, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, Patrol Leader, Scribe and Historian. These experiences taught her responsibility, teamwork, and how to lead by example.

Ava’s favorite aspects of the Scouting program are its inclusivity and the variety of opportunities it offers to youth. Scouting has allowed her to make friendships and be a leader with scouts from across the country, and even other parts of the world. These opportunities have taught her about the value of a good team and how to work with others. Programs such as National Youth Leadership Training and Order of the Arrow were especially influential in helping her to grow as a person and learning how to put herself out there. She was on the senior staff of the National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT), Scouting America.

Ava’s Eagle Project was for Lawrence Elementary School, her alma mater. The school teaches “Leader in Me” as a part of their K-5 curriculum, focusing on enabling students to be balanced and independent individuals. The school was implementing a Conflict Resolution method, so Ava incorporated this into her project since the “Leader in Me” curriculum strongly aligns with Scouting’s National Leadership training.

Her team of 30+ volunteers constructed a template 12 feet in diameter of the conflict resolution wheel and painted it on the school blacktop. They also added an evacuation area requested by the teachers and refreshed the Lawrence Labs paw prints throughout the campus for school spirit. This project took 2 days of volunteer labor, even overcoming rain the day of painting!

The project beneficiary, Principal Kristie Starkovich said, "Lawrence Elementary is grateful to Ava Taylor and her team for completing the “Conflict Resolution Wheel” which provides students with a supportive tool for social-emotional growth, while the refreshed paint paws enhance the pride in our school environment. Ava’s leadership leaves a lasting impact on our school community."

Ava is a senior at Granada High School, where she is enrolled in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. Her leadership and interests are wide-ranging and include cycling, hiking, reading, and music. She is an accomplished percussionist, performing in Drumline, Marching Band, and Symphonic Band, where she currently serves as Section Leader and Drum Captain.

Beyond music, Ava is a dedicated athlete as a member of the Varsity Women’s Lacrosse Team. She also serves as Vice President of the Granada National Honor Society and gives back to her community through volunteer service at the Discovery Shop of the American Cancer Society in Pleasanton.

Ava is applying to the United States Naval Academy and aspires to a Naval career with a focus on International and Civil Affairs.

To earn the rank of Eagle Scout, a Scout must be active in their troop, provide leadership, earn 21 merit badges including the areas of citizenship, camping, communications, cooking and lifesaving or emergency preparedness as well as demonstrate that they live by the principles of the Scout Oath and the Scout Law. They must also plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project benefiting a religious institution, school, or community group.

Anyone interested in joining any level of Scouting can contact the Twin Valley District Executive

Fil de Cal, Filiberto.deCal@scouting.org.