Soaring To Great Heights

by Laura Breen Galante

Jillian Ellmyer of Oviedo was practically born into Scouts. 

Her older brother Jacob and their dad Jason were Boy Scouts, and both hold the title of Eagle Scout – the highest rank available to youth members of Boy Scouts of America (now called Scouting America). Recently, Jillian earned the same rank, at the impressively young age of 12.

“She had it in her head that she wanted to be the youngest Eagle Scout ever,” says her mom, Jennifer. 

The average age of a Scout who attains the Eagle rank is 17. There are only a handful of 12-year-olds across the country who have earned the honor, and only one other Scout is a girl. 

Jillian, the youngest Eagle Scout in her troop, is a Super Scout, so to speak.

Jillian joined Girl Scouts when she was in kindergarten, and when Boy Scouts of America began allowing girls to join in 2018, she jumped at the chance. Jillian, who is now a seventh grader at Lawton Chiles Middle School, was in first grade at the time.

“I saw a flyer at school and I immediately wanted to join because my dad and my brother were Boy Scouts,” she says. “I definitely enjoy the fact that we can have boys and girls, and with Boy Scouts of America, I can do other athletic things like flag football and rock climbing that maybe some of the girls don’t want to do.”

She became a Cub Scout in 2018, earning her Arrow of Light (Cub Scouting’s highest achievement), and crossing over to Boy Scouts Troop 4208 in Oviedo in 2022.

The process of earning an Eagle Scout award has many steps, including accumulating at least 21 merit badges, completing a community service project, finishing a detailed Eagle Scout rank application, and passing the board of review.

Taking Her Turn

Jillian already had plenty of experience working on Eagle Scout projects before she tackled her own. Big brother Jacob, who is now 19, became an Eagle Scout at age 15. Jillian was part of the team for Jacob’s project, and she has also assisted with the projects of his peers.

“She’s been helping the boys work on their Eagle projects since she was probably in kindergarten,” says Jennifer.

“When my brother got it, I started thinking, ‘Well, what do I want to do?’” says Jillian.

She reached out to the American Legion Post 243 in Oviedo and proposed building a fireplace and a fire pit with a cooking rack. She also built a separate rack to hold firewood with a cover.

“You can do a service project with hands-on labor, or you can host a community event where you can share something,” says Jillian. “I felt that a service project would be more beneficial.” 

Jillian worked with her troop and her mentor, Chris Laursen and his daughter Kayla, to determine the cost and materials for the project. They even created a scale model before Jillian and her team of 16 began work in late July. Just two months after her 12th birthday, she completed her final board of review and earned her Eagle Scout Award.

Leading by Example

“We’re definitely super proud,” says Jennifer. “It was amazing to see her pull everything together, and she really stood up as a leader. Sometimes she wanted to just do it herself, but she had to lead others through the process.”

The most impressive thing about the process, says her father, was the support that other Eagle Scouts from her troop gave Jillian. 

“Every single project that she’s worked on, every single past Eagle Scout came back to help her,” says Jason. “I think that speaks volumes as to who she is. She’s a very special person.”

Jillian is racking up awards not just as a Boy Scout but as a Girl Scout, too. She is currently working on her Silver Award – one of Girl Scouting’s highest achievements – as a member of Girl Scout Troop 1272.

Her project involves helping younger Girl Scouts feel more comfortable talking about their periods.

Jillian and two other Girl Scouts created presentations for younger troop members and reached out to feminine hygiene product companies for donations to distribute.

“Part of the reason they chose this is to bring awareness to Scouting America that when you’re building your first aid kits, these are things to think about to include in a kit,” says Jennifer, adding that girls at a campout might need feminine hygiene supplies. 

“We figured if we could talk to them and share our experiences how to cope with that,” says Jillian, “they would feel better and more comfortable talking about it.”

For Jillian, the most valuable lesson she has learned from her Scouting experiences – from the Eagle Scout project to working toward her Silver Award – has been about the importance of teamwork. 

“I definitely learned to sometimes step back instead of doing things myself to get some help from others,” says Jillian. “I learned that I can’t do everything on my own, and I’m going to need help sometimes, and that’s okay.”