Exemplifying leadership throughout her troop, school, church, and community, Josie Hall has become a trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent citizen with 21 merit badges to prove it. This past February, Josie became the first female Eagle Scout in Jefferson City with troop 3010, an honor she’d been working toward since she joined Venturing BSA in 2018. In fact, only 6% of youth registered in the BSA ever achieve Eagle rank.
“I’ve enjoyed the journey to becoming an Eagle,” Josie says. “I have learned so many new skills and made a lot of friends. It feels great to reach the rank of Eagle, especially as a female. It has been a very unique experience to be a founder of the girl troop and I have been incredibly blessed to have such a supportive family at home, church, and in the troop.”
So far, Josie has been to three of the four BSA high adventure bases, the first being Florida Sea Base in 2019, where she was a part of a sailboat crew in the warm blue waters of the Florida Keys. In January 2021, she went to Northern Tier and participated in their Okpik (pronounced ook’ pick) program, where she and her crew camped with snow windbreaks on a frozen lake in the freezing Minnesota temperatures. Then this past summer, she traveled to Philmont Scout Ranch where she led her crew on a 12-day backpacking trip through the New Mexico mountains.
“It takes time, patience, and a whole lot of work,” Josie says. “You have to really work for and want the rank of Eagle. It is not just handed out. Scouts BSA is also an excellent opportunity to meet new people, learn new skills, and make lifelong connections that can help you in the future.”
Since then, Josie has also been operating a widely used food pantry that she built outside the front doors of her church in October. While she has not been able to track how much food has passed through the pantry already, she rarely finds it completely empty.
“She does this with a positive attitude and a smile on her face every single day. Big things are going to happen for this young lady,” says Executive Director and Scout Leader Bradley Kellerman.
As a senior at Capital City High School, Josie also plays the upright bass in the symphonic orchestra and plans to attend the University of Missouri Columbia next year to begin earning a bachelor’s degree in education. But while she will soon have her nose in the books, she still plans to continue giving back to the community that has supported her in everything she has done so far.
Josie is an excellent student, a member of the orchestra, and a very outgoing and kind teenager. She is someone JCMO should know.
Karen Lowery
Questions:
Who inspires you?
My mom. She and I are very similar in a lot of ways. I have always looked up to her and admired her.
What’s your favorite book?
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.
Favorite YouTube Channel?
Jubilee. I like watching their “Odd One Out” videos.
What activities are you involved in?
I am in student council, national honor society, symphonic orchestra, and scouts BSA.
What’s your favorite subject in school and why?
I like English because I have that class with a lot of my friends.
Who do you like to have lunch with?
I like to go on Saturday lunch dates with my two best friends, Emma and Emily.
What’s your favorite thing to do in Jefferson City?
I like going to Target and I enjoy walking at Runge Nature Center.
What’s your favorite movie/tv show and why?
I love the 2019 version of “Little Women.” It is my comfort movie, I love the characters, the actors, and the portrayal of the book.
If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why?
Teleportation, I like to travel but it costs a lot and takes a lot of time to get to certain places.
This or That
Disney or Nickelodeon
DC or Marvel
Fruits or Vegetables
Laptop or Tablet
Pizza or Hamburgers
Michael Jordan or LeBron James
Winter or Summer
In-school or At-home classes
PE or Art
Fortnight or Minecraft
Bike or Scooter
PlayStation or Xbox
TikTok or Instagram
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