The dingy church hall remains silent as the audience listens to Nikki Espree call out senior Micah Espree’s achievements. Once he finishes, the crowd of Micah’s friends, family and fellow scouts fill the church hall with claps and cheers for the new Eagle Scout.

Out of the seven ranks in the  Boy Scouts of America, the Eagle Scout rank remains the highest achievement a scout can earn. To become an Eagle Scout, a person must lead a service project, earn 21 merit badges (14 of them are Eagle required), hold a leadership position and hold certain ranks for at least six months. Espree joined Cub Scouts in 2012 after a friend invited him to attend a scout meeting. After 10 years of scout experience, Espree earned his Eagle Scout Rank on April 18, 2022, and held his ceremony on Aug. 15, 2022.

“I lacked motivation,” Espree said. ”All my time and priorities were in stuff like my choirs and theaters, but my mom really pushed me to where it just made it a healthy environment for me to [achieve Eagle].”

At the Eagle Ceremony, Espree earned many honors like the Anchorman Reward, awarded to scouts who exceeded expectations at Aquatic School. Espree’s teachers, friends and family all attended the ceremony. Nikki Espree, Espree’s mother, felt proud to see her son achieve the highest rank in Boy Scouts. 

“I wanted to gift Micah with this same confidence and unconditional love in helping him to reach his fullest potential,” Mrs. Espree said. “We also reminded him of how

much easier and enjoyable his senior year would be if he wasn’t stressed.”

For Micah’s Eagle Project, he built outdoor chapel seats with donated wood that he stained and cut. This allowed the church to hold more sermons while in COVID-19 quarantine. 

“Knowing how to lead [was the hardest part of the project],” Espree said. “They want you to take the responsibility of knowing what the plan is and leading your fellow scouts to forge them into the right direction.”

The Eagle Scout Rank also allows a scout to apply for different scholarships. Espree plans to fill out as many applications to avoid student loan debt. 

“I think it’s amazing for someone to persevere through however many years it takes [to earn their Eagle],” Espree said. “It really builds up a nice résumé and repertoire for yourself and it’s an amazing [achievement] to earn.”