In a world that often describes teenagers as social media addicted, irresponsible, and selfish, it is encouraging to see many of the youth members at Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church are bucking these stereotypes. One of our HAB Youth, Mason Hicks, recently became an Eagle Scout. This process, which takes years of preparation and discipline, is not for the ‘stereotypical teen.’ Not only do applicants for Eagle Scout have to take on active leadership roles in their troop, but they also are required to earn a total of 21 merit badges, attend a leadership conference, and submit to a board of review. Responsibility and selfless leadership are a must, primarily when the Eagle Scout prospect works on what some would say is the most daunting of all of the requirements, the service project. We recently conducted an interview with Mason about his service project and his experience with scouting and what it means to become an Eagle Scout.
HAB: How long have you been involved in scouts?
Mason: Scouting began for me in 1st grade when I went to the Scout Roundup at ourschool. I walked into a crazy room of other 1st graders, and we scrambled around to create our den. We became part of Den 12, and we started our journey together toward becoming Boy Scouts. Our Den leader Mr. Bo encouraged and inspired us each week to learn and grow while being prepared and taking care of our planet and neighbors.
HAB: When did you start thinking about completing the Eagle Scout criteria?
Mason: I knew in the back of my head that my dad was an Eagle Scout, but never really understood what that meant as a young Cub Scout. As I moved through Cub Scouts, I loved earning achievements such as ranks, belt loops, and the den specific challenges. I crossed over to Boy Scouts and soon realized what the rank of Eagle signified. I knew it was something I wanted to work to achieve.
HAB: Your Eagle Scout Service project was to build a fence around the Community Garden here at HAB. Can you tell us a little about your project experience and what it meant to you?
Mason: The hardest, but most rewarding part of my journey to Eagle was my Eagle Scout project. Even though it was hard to keep up and manage all the pieces of my project, I was excited when we completed the project, and I could see what I had in my head. The plan on paper was “live” right in front of me. I loved seeing the excitement it brought to my church and community and know that it will help solve some of the problems they were experiencing.
HAB: What are some things you learned through this process that will be useful in other areas of your life?
Mason: Achieving Eagle will be another great accomplishment for me, but it is not just a box that I check. It is an achievement that I will carry with me and use for the rest of my life. I have found a passion for mentoring younger scouts, and I hope to be able to mentor them to help them achieve their goals. As I enter high school and work toward an International Baccalaureate Diploma, I know the leadership and preparedness skills learned through scouts, will serve me well in this challenging course load.
HAB: You mentioned your dad’s influence on you as you began your scouting journey. How does that shape your vision of your future as a scout, leader, and mentor?
Mason: One day, in the far future, if I have a son of my own, I hope to encourage and help guide him toward scouts and earning an Eagle Rank. If he finds a passion for it as I did, then I will be there to support his efforts to achieve his goals. If I don’t have a son, and if time allows, I would like to work with scouts and continue to be able to mentor and encourage them to be successful. I know that I have a passion for mentoring and continued involvement in Scouts will allow me to use those talents to help future generations.
In addition to his hard work in scouting and academic pursuits, Mason also spends a great deal of time participating in the HAB Youth ministries and mission work. We are proud to share about his Eagle Scout achievement and the legacy of servant leadership he continues as part of the Hicks family and the HAB community.
