Two local twin sisters from East Williamsburg ~ Troop 1G Scouts Yan Ying (Alison) Zhang and Yan Lin (Selina) Zhang ~ made history last Thursday by becoming the very first female Eagle Scouts of Brooklyn.
The Eagle rank is the pinnacle of a youth’s scouting journey. It represents years of advancing through 8 ranks, countless community service hours, many merit badges, recommendations, personal essays, leadership positions, and a final Eagle project. Less than 5% of all scouts achieve this final rank, and Selina and Alison are the first female scouts to earn this rank in Brooklyn!
Alison and Selina did not simply earn the Eagle rank, these exceptional young women crushed it.
They each earned over 100 Merit Badges – well over the 21 Merit Badges required for the Eagle rank . Their Eagle Projects were challenging, relevant and impactful to our community. Alison planned a series of Stop Anti-Asian Hate workshops that informed local 5th graders and the public at large about the issues and how to be an upstander, not a bystander. Selina planned a Family First Aid Fair that served hundreds of families and may save a life one day.
Alison and Selina served in numerous scout leadership positions including Senior Patrol Leader, Troop Guide, and Den Chief. They now serve as Junior Assistant Scoutmasters for Troop 1G. They were the youngest staff members at Ten Mile River Scout summer camp last year and were invited back to staff. They were elected to the Scout Order of Arrow (think “scout honor society”) and now hold leadership positions in the Order of Arrow. They attended the Order of Arrow’s prestigious and by-invitation-only National Leadership Seminar, are wrapping up NYLT, the leadership development training offered by local Scout councils, and will attend NAYLES, the national leadership training at Philmont, Arizona in June.
And by the way, Alison and Selina are also active outside of scouting: they are on the swim, cheer and stunt varsity teams and excel academically at Brooklyn Millennium High School.
We can’t wait to see what they’ll do next.
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Photo credit: TSBK
(l-r) Susan Anderson, Town Square BK Executive Director and Troop 1G Committee Chair; Sonia Hanson, Town Square BK Chairperson and attorney; Eagle Scout Yan Ying (Alison) Zhang; Eagle Scout Yan Lin (Selina) Zhang; Diana Reyna, Candidate for NYS Lt. Governor and former Deputy Brooklyn Borough President/NYC Councilmember; and Julia Rhi, Greenpointers Publisher.