Four young women from Marin County are making history as part of the nation’s inaugural class of female Eagle Scouts.
The members of San Anselmo’s Troop 1015 — Jordan Locke, 19, of San Rafael; Bella Segovia, 18, of Tiburon; Gina Schneider, 18, of Fairfax; and Stefanie Iojica, 19, of San Anselmo — were recognized Sunday along with nearly 1,000 young women across the country in the “Be the Change” online ceremony hosted by the Boy Scouts of America.
Eagle Scout, the highest rank the program offers, is achieved by only 5% of participants annually, according to the Marin Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
“I’m honored,” Iojica said. “It’s somewhere I never thought I would ever be able to be.”
Locke said the honor “gives me goosebumps.”
“People from all over the country are sharing this experience together,” she said. “It’s really exciting.”
Girls and young women have been part of co-ed programs offered by the Boy Scouts for decades, but it wasn’t until 2019 that girls were allowed to become scouts themselves. However, the rank of Eagle Scout was out of reach for older girls who would age out of the program before given the opportunity.
That’s when Locke, who was 17 at the time, petitioned to the Marin council for an age extension. Locke, who with her three colleagues as a member of the co-ed scout Venturing Crew, argued that she possessed the right stuff for Eagle Scout status. The council backed her request and forwarded it to the national council, which granted the extension.
“It’s a fantastic milestone,” said Michael Dybeck, chief executive officer of the Marin branch. “It’s incredible what these young women accomplished, a great achievement.”
To earn the rank of Eagle Scout, scouts have to obtain a minimum of 21 merit badges in categories such as first aid, safety, civics, business and the environment. They must also take leadership roles within their troop, and they must research, organize and complete a large community service project.
For her project, Locke, who is now a structural engineering student at the University of California, Santa Barbara, raised money to build two planter boxes with fruit trees for the community garden in the Canal neighborhood of San Rafael.
Segovia, a senior at Redwood High School, partnered with the Marin Municipal Water District to organize volunteers to build a puncheon bridge over a creek on Kent Trail.
Schneider, who is studying education at the University of California, Santa Cruz, worked with San Anselmo town staffers to decommission an illegal trail that caused erosion at Sorich Park.
Iojica, an environmental economics and policy and philosophy student at University of California, Berkeley, worked on a native plant restoration project at Old St. Hilary’s Preserve in Tiburon to prevent erosion and support the native habitat.
“I’m thrilled beyond belief,” said Lisa Linnenkohl, scoutmaster of Troop 1015. “Glass ceilings are shattering all over the country. They all worked really hard to achieve this.”
Jesse Barnett, the advancement chairman on the Marin council, said the four women are “amazing, inspirational people.”
“They’ve accomplished in only two years what most boys spend up to six years working toward,” Barnett said. “I feel privileged to have been part of their reviews.”
Nancy Rozell, adviser to the Cub Scout packs and Explorer posts, said the girls have served as role models for the younger girls in the program.
“It’s great for the boys and girls to see the young ladies in positions that traditionally the male staff did,” Rozell said. “They’re fantastic and have been a tremendous influence.”
Segovia said the sense of community and family in the troop helped her reach her goal. Her brother, also a scout, also challenged her, she said.
“I’m taking away a sense of inner confidence in my abilities,” Segovia said. “I’ve always been shy, and afraid to take the lead and be the center of attention, but this is something that I learned I’m capable of doing.”
Schneider said she developed an affinity for scouts through participating in the Cub Scouts program as a child when her brother was enrolled. Her father was also a scout, she said, but she is the first in the family to become Eagle Scout.
She said her experience in scouting has influenced her education and career path. She hopes to become an educator.
“I worked at the Cub leadership camp and realized how much I wanted to become a teacher and work with kids,” she said. “It absolutely has given me the skills I need to get there.”
Her father, Scott Schneider, assistant public works director in San Anselmo, said he is proud of his daughter. He said the town has been working with the scouts for years on a variety of projects, including placing medallions at storm drain inlets and replacing failing retaining walls at Robson Park.
“The town is very excited that now both boys and girls in Scouting BSA will have the opportunity to make a difference in their community,” he said.
Marin’s scouting program has approximately 1,500 enrolled, including 180 girls.
