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'It Shows That I Have Perseverance': Cambridge Teen Becomes One Of The First Female Eagle Scouts

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Kavita Trivedi is pictured outside her home in Cambridge. Photo by Stephanie Mitchell
Kavita Trivedi is pictured outside her home in Cambridge. Photo by Stephanie Mitchell

Next month, Scouts BSA — formerly known as the Boy Scouts — will officially induct its first class of female Eagle Scouts.

It's the highest rank someone in Scouts BSA can earn; the process to reach the rank was open only to boys until 2019, when Boy Scouts of America began allowing girls in the organization.

Among those in the inaugural Eagle Scout class is 15-year-old Kavita Trivedi from Troop 56 in Cambridge. The troop has been allowing girls unofficially since 2003.

Trivedi passed her review to become an Eagle Scout this week, and she talked about it with WBUR's Jack Lepiarz.

Interview Highlights: 

Kavita Trivedi: "I'm very proud to become an Eagle Scout. I feel like I've learned a lot of leadership skills ... and I am a strong person. I know how to overcome hurdles, and it shows that I have perseverance."

On whether she's encountered any pushback or problems being a girl in the organization long known as the Boy Scouts:

"Maybe once or twice, but nothing huge ... [Once] was at a jamboree, and I was told by a couple older men that I wasn't supposed to be there and I don't belong there. And this was right after the girls were starting to be allowed into Scouts.

"I usually just say 'OK' and just move on, because you just have to keep moving forward. You can't let the small things stop you."

On her Eagle Project, in which she made a series of 10 videos: 

"I was trying to help teach youth at the local community center what Leave No Trace means and how to apply those skills that you would usually learn in the woods to life in the city. You're disposing of your waste properly. You're respecting wildlife, so you're not harming them and making them move out of their homes — which also means to respect the environment around where they live. Plan ahead and prepare, so you're not bringing any extra trash. And then to me, leave no trace means just to make the world a better place to live and to do your part in the community and the environment."

On what drove her to become an Eagle Scout at the young age of 15:

"When I participated in Scouts when I was younger, I kept seeing all the older scouts become Eagle Scouts. And I wanted to become one of them one day. So once girls were allowed into scouting, I started working on the ranks and earning the merit badges. I had set a goal for myself: I wanted to [be in] the first group of girls, because that was a big achievement. And I felt accomplished once I got there."

This segment aired on January 15, 2021.

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Jack Lepiarz Reporter and Anchor
Jack Lepiarz was a reporter and anchor at WBUR.

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Lynn Jolicoeur is the field producer for WBUR's All Things Considered. She also reports for the station's various local news broadcasts.

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