ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — Kaitlyn Smith remembers the longing she felt watching her two older brothers become Eagle Scouts.
"I was infatuated during the entire service project process and ceremony, but I knew I was not allowed to have this experience yet," Smith said. "I knew that BSA could help me grow as a leader, so I kept wishing that eventually, I would be able to join."
The north county native already loved being a Girl Scout but longed for the adventure and leadership that being a Boy Scout offered.
The Boy Scouts of America first announced plans to begin admitting girls back in October 2017. The program for older scouts, now called Scouts BSA (formerly Boy Scouts), began accepting girls in February 2019. Smith immediately jumped to join so that she could be in the first class of female Eagle Scouts.
Now 19, Smith was among the inaugural class of 934 girls who earned the coveted rank during a Sunday ceremony. The Greater St. Louis Area Council confirmed more than 15 were from the St. Louis area.
"Being in the inaugural group of female Eagle Scouts is such an honor and I am proud to have put one more crack in the glass ceiling. There were many people who told me that females shouldn’t be in scouting because they didn’t like it or said it was the last place for 'boys to be boys,'" she said.
"I really love Girls Scouts too but they are two very different programs. Girl Scouts is more about learning new things and trying new things while Scouts BSA is about becoming a leader for your community."
The final step to the Eagle Scout ranking is proposing, planning and carrying out a community service project. Since Scouts BSA had just opened to females, Smith and the rest of her class had a condensed timeline to complete those requirements.
Smith's project was to create an adaptable toy for kids with special needs, which she did while juggling being a full-time student, performing in theatre and spending 150 hours redoing the St. Louis Catholic Academy Library to earn her Girl Scout Gold Award.
Smith adapted 35 toys for the Kenny Rogers Children's Center in Sikeston, which previously only had four adapted toys. The toys are attached to bigger buttons that are easier to press.
"These toys are so helpful, because they are typically very expensive, hard to find, and there is limited variety that can be bought from medical companies," Smith said.
Her favorite part of her Eagle Scouts journey was being a role model for younger scouts, especially girls, and showing them that the sky's the limit.
"My advice for young women is it doesn’t matter who says you won’t be able to do it or that they think it isn’t right for you to do it - You can do it! Know that you have a strong base supporting you and cheering on your success!"
Smith is currently studying political science and theatre at Saint Louis University. She's involved in a local political campaign and wants to help elect officials who will make a positive difference in the community. She also wants to keep giving back to the community that helped her so much.
"In the future, I want to work in City Hall as a policy advisor to help make St. Louis a better place for everyone," she said.
Even though she's finally an Eagle Scout, Smith said she isn't done yet. She plans to earn her Venturing Summit Award this summer.
"Once I have all three of the highest awards in scouting, I will be officially cooler than my brothers!"