Another Glass Ceiling Smashed as Kavita Trivedi Joins the Historically Male Boy Scouts
- The 15-year-old Indian American is from Troop 56 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She will be inducted to the first class of female Eagle Scouts.
With Vice President-elect, Kamala Harris all set to be sworn in Wednesday as the second most-powerful individual in the country, another glass ceiling will soon be broken.
On February 8, 2021, Scouts BSA — formerly known as the Boy Scouts — will officially induct its first class of female Eagle Scouts on the recognized “birthday” of the Boy Scouts of America.
Among those in the inaugural Eagle Scout class is 15-year-old Indian American Kavita Trivedi from Troop 56 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The troop has been allowing girls unofficially since 2003.
Eagle Scout is 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.
Trivedi, who passed her review to become an Eagle Scout this week, told WBUR News, “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 being in a predominantly male bastion, she says, “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.”
As to what drove her to become an Eagle Scout Trivedi says, “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.”
For her Eagle Scout Project, Trivedi 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.”
Taylor Bell, Mackenzie Neal, Lindsay Parker and Morgan Phillips will join Trivedi in the Inaugural Class of Female Eagle Scouts.
Anu Ghosh immigrated to the U.S. from India in 1999. Back in India she was a journalist for the Times of India in Pune for 8 years and a graduate from the Symbiosis Institute of Journalism and Communication. In the U.S., she obtained her Masters and PhD. in Communications from The Ohio State University. Go Buckeyes! She has been involved in education for the last 15 years, as a professor at Oglethorpe University and then Georgia State University. She currently teaches Special Education at Oak Grove Elementary. She is also a mom to two precocious girls ages 11 and 6.