Recognizing Oregon's First Female Eagle Scouts

Floor Speech

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Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I am proud to be able to recognize Oregon's first female Eagle Scouts, the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouts of America, or BSA. Evelyn Becker, Juliana Cimral, and Anya Kramer have demonstrated remarkable leadership, skill, and perseverance to earn this important distinction and have done it through an unprecedented pandemic.

For more than 100 years, the Eagle Scout rank has represented a tremendous accomplishment that is recognized in Oregon and across the country. To earn Scouting's highest honor, a Scout must demonstrate mastery of numerous skills and obtain a merit badge for each one, earn a position of responsibility within their troop, and complete a service project that will directly benefit their community. Until recently, girls and young women were not allowed to join BSA, but that finally changed for the better in February of 2019. Evelyn, Juliana, and Anya, Oregon's first three female Eagle Scouts, received their rank in October and will join others in receiving their official Eagle title in February 2021.

We can see examples of their skills and dedication to improving their community in the Eagle service projects they tackled. Juliana, a senior at Jesuit High School, employed her knowledge of and interest in bees and the importance these pollinators play in the food supply chain to build 25 bee houses that have increased the pollination and production of nearby gardens. Evelyn, a sophomore at Scappoose High School, built a fence to separate her local school from a busy highway and a bioswale to prevent children from falling into the water and to help improve the safety of her community. Anya, a freshman at Western Oregon University, spent months building a partnership between the West Linn Food Pantry and Period.org so that women in need would have access to feminine hygiene products, an often overlooked essential.

It has been exciting to see the BSA finally welcoming the other half of the population into their ranks. Each of these three women watched their brothers succeed in Boy Scouts while growing up. When finally given the chance, they continued that family tradition of achievement. I am excited to see what new heights these outstanding Eagle Scouts and community leaders will reach. Many more will come after them, and our communities will be better for it.

Oregonians always take pride in serving our State and this great country, and these three Eagle Scouts are a great example of that. Today I say congratulations to the first women from Oregon to earn the rank of Eagle Scout, and I wish them many more years of success.

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