Following family legacy, Gavin Lam achieves Eagle Scout distinction

After more than a decade of work, 18-year-old Gavin Lam has achieved Eagle Scout status, the highest rank attainable in Scouting America’s Scouts BSA program.

Since its inception in 1911, only about four percent of Scouts have earned the Eagle Scout rank, according to Scouting America. To qualify, Scouting America requires that candidates complete a rigorous series of merit badges, take on leadership roles within their troop and carry out a community service project intended to leave a lasting impact on those it serves.

Though he grew up in Bayside, Queens, Lam’s connection to Scouting traces back to Riverdale, where his father was raised and scouted in local Troop 240. That legacy was one of several factors that shaped Lam’s introduction to Scouting.

“For me, Scouting was a bit familial,” Lam said. “My dad and uncle are both Eagle Scouts. My two older brothers were in Scouting before me, and so it was like I followed in their footsteps.”

Lam joined Cub Scouts at five years old, and later transitioned into Boy Scouts, now called Scouts BSA, before finding his place in Queens in Troop 106. There, he threw himself into the weekly Friday night meetings. In the summers, he attended camp with fellow Scouts in upstate New York.

“It was really about the people,” he said. “Being with the same group, going on trips together, just sharing all those experiences, that’s what made it meaningful.”

As he grew older, Lam took up playing competitive hockey, splitting his time between his high school team and a travel league. Scouting, once routine, became something he struggled to keep pace with.

“I ended up losing a lot of time with Scouting,” he said. “And there was a point where I was worried that I wouldn’t get Eagle, because I just hadn’t been able to participate as much as other kids, and I was far behind.”

Still, Lam worked through dozens of merit badges, each testing a different set of skills. Some proved more demanding than others. Lifesaving was among the most challenging, he said, requiring physical strength and endurance, while the climbing badge pushed him to confront a fear of heights.

“I had to overcome that fear and climb up the [rock wall], then self-rappel down from it multiple times to be able to get it,” he said. “So I was really challenged mentally trying to get over my fear of going up that high.”

But not all of the badges felt like work. Earning his shotgun merit badge was his favorite, not because of the activity itself, but the people he shared it with.

“I had my older brother, Joey, teach it to me,” he said. “I sat there with three of my childhood best friends … it was just a whole group of us just having a great time, a lot of laughs doing that one.”

Those moments, he said, were what kept him grounded in the program as the demands increased, ultimately carrying him through to his Eagle Scout service project, a final show of leadership that gives back to his community.

He chose to renovate a meeting room in the rectory of Sacred Heart Church in Bayside, a space he had known since childhood.

“It ends up being a test of leadership more than anything,” he said. “You have to think through every step and keep track of everything you’re doing.”

By August 2025, Lam had completed his requirements and advanced to the final review board, an interview that would determine whether he would earn the rank.

“I spent a couple of hours at my desk beforehand, just reviewing everything and preparing for the interview,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been that nervous.”

The achievement was formally recognized at a Court of Honor ceremony, where family, friends and fellow scouts gathered in March.

“I saw it as an opportunity for me to say my gratitude and thanks to everyone that was there,” he said.

Now a student at SUNY Maritime College in the Bronx, Lam is studying mechanical engineering while participating in the school’s regimented cadet program.

When asked what advice he would give young Scouts vying for Eagle, Lam was frank.

“Don’t give up,” he said. “Just keep going. No matter how much work you think it is.”