Junior Rebecca Dillon is the second female in Johnson County to ever earn the rank of Eagle Scout–the highest rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of Scouting America. Dillion earned her rank in August of 2025 after less than a year of working toward the honor.
“It’s a leadership position,” Dillon said. “You know that other people look up to you and rely on you. To me, it means finally feeling a sense of accomplishment and pride for my family and setting the bar for other females in Scouting around the area.”
This rank, however, is not a pedestal that just anyone involved in scouting receives. It is a reward earned through hard work and determination–something that requires a very specific process and drive to achieve. For Dillon, her journey towards her Eagle started years ago.
“I originally started in Girl Scouts and I decided that wasn’t for me,” Dillon said. “In 2019 when females were getting more into scouting, my dad was like ‘hey, let’s go do this’, but I didn’t really see myself getting Eagle until about two or three years ago.”
After joining Scouts, Dillon began working her way up the ladder of ranks.
“The ranks go Scout, Hinderfoot, 2nd class, 1st class, Star, Life, Eagle,” Dillon said. “You can start certain requirements for your Eagle whenever, but ones like your project or service hours cannot be complete until you obtain Life.”
Dillon earned her life in the fall of 2024 and immediately got to work finishing what she needed for her Eagle.
“I had to have a certain number of merit badges, which are specialized in a specific subject,” Dillon said. “I’ve earned 38 merit badges currently. I also had to do a couple personalized merit badges beyond that.”
Aside from Dillon’s hard-earned merit badges, which include hiking and citizenship of the nation, Dillon had to direct her focus to a large part of earning the Eagle rank–the Eagle project.
“It is one of the bigger requirements where you basically lead a group of people into doing something,” Dillon said. “Mine was taking down and rebuilding the Double YYouth and Years Saddle Club arena fence. It was well loved when I got there and it was time for beautification. It took three and a half days.”
The Eagle project plays a huge part in demonstrating a Scouts leadership, organization and initiative when it comes to leading a group as well as benefiting the community. It shows responsibility and that the Scout rises above the rest and is qualified for the highest rank in scouting–which Dillon has proven. As Dillon completed everything she needed to earn her Eagle, she was rewarded with the rank in August of 2025. The conclusion of her Eagle journey came with her Court of Honor ceremony.
“After I got my Eagle Scout I started planning for what we call a Court of Honor,” Dillon said. “A regular Court of Honor is usually generalized for the whole troop and you honor everybody in the troop with their different achievements over the past couple months. An Eagle court of honor is a little different. You just honor the person that got the rank of Eagle.”
Looking back on her journey, Dillon believes that her inspiration to go down the path toward her Eagle derived from her dad’s accomplishments in the Scouting world.
“My dad is an Eagle scout,” Dillon said. “He’s actually what we call a Triple Crown. A Triple Crown is when a person of Scouting obtains not only the rank of Eagle, but also the highest honors in the other organizations tied to scouting, which are the Minisino honor in Firecrafter or the Vigil honor in Order of the Arrow.”
Dillon looks forward to continuing to follow in her dad’s footsteps.
“These are both organizations I, my sister, and my dad are in,” Dillon said. “My Eagle Scout was definitely a high bar to achieve, and while I still am not Minisino or Vigil honor, I hope to one day attain them.”
Dillon still has big goals for her future, but she is beyond grateful for her current rank and everyone who has helped and encouraged her along the way.
“It’s a really big honor, especially knowing that my troop is expanding and my sister will probably be the next Eagle scout,” Dillon said. “It means that people can rely on me and trust me.”
After coming through the many obstacles she has encountered throughout her journey, Dillon considers why more females aren’t working towards being an Eagle Scout.
“I don’t think the program has been open long enough to females,” Dillon said. “I think that not enough females have been interested in joining. I really hope to be able to help and encourage other female youth to get their names on there.”
Although Dillon has earned the highest rank in Scouting, she hopes to continue being actively involved in her troop and representing the qualities of an Eagle Scout.
“Now in my troop I am helping the younger Scouts advance,” Dillon said. “I am stepping in where I’m needed. I now hold the Junior Assistant Scoutmaster position.
I help the girls advance and make sure they mostly have fun.”
Aside from assisting with others in the troop, Dillon herself has been given many unique opportunities to do while still being a Scout, including a sailing trip.
“This year my patrol is going on a High Adventure to Sea Base,” Dillon said. “There are several different high adventure camps across the U.S. like Sea Base in the Florida Keys, The Summit in Virginia and Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. There are several different excursions at Sea Base but the one my patrol is doing is we will man a boat for about three days, sail to Key West from the upper Keys and sail back.”
Dillon also acknowledges the benefits that being an Eagle Scout will have on her future. When Dillon graduates high school and leaves her position as a youth Scout in her troop, she plans to go to college and major in Agribusiness Economics and Communications.
“I would like to be a farrier with my own business and work for a statewide-known newspaper called “Indiana Home,” and finally also work for an agriculture economics company,” Dillon said. “When you obtain the rank of Eagle people start paying more attention. It’s something that helps you stand out among other job applicants, amongst other scholarship participants and just in life in general. It tells people about your leadership skills and that you’re a trustworthy person.”
Looking ahead, Dillon’s goal with scouting is to stay as involved with her troop as possible.
“I don’t know how easy it’ll be with college,” Dillon said. “At the very least I hope to come back regularly and see how much the troop has expanded and what I need to do to keep helping younger Scouts.”
