Born into an active family, Cecelia Pumpelly joined the scouting world as a Daisy, the initial level of Girl Scouting that became a “constant” in her life as she moved up through the six levels to Ambassador. As her brothers participated in Cub Scouts, she watched and tagged along whenever possible. At the age of 16, Pumpelly then joined an all-girls Boy Scouts of America troop. The environment became woven into her life.
On Aug. 8, Pumpelly was recognized as one of metro Atlanta’s first female Eagle Scouts. Chartered to The Episcopal Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in East Cobb, she is the first Eagle Scout in her Troop 2019 led by Scoutmaster Kes Stadler.
Pumpelly excelled at academics graduating from Campbell High School (Smyrna) in the International Baccalaureate diploma program and was also a National Merit Scholarship winner.
It was the nature element and learning some tactile things that she sought in joining the BSA, but soon realized the journey to get to Eagle was a mountain, she said.
Being the oldest in the troop, Pumpelly discovered that mentoring those younger gave meaning. “It was probably the most gratifying experience of my high school years being able to work one on one, make decisions, teach skills and watch these young girls grow into the capable scouts and leaders they are today,” said the now freshman at UGA studying economics.
“During her time at T2019, she was elected to the highest position in the troop that can be held by a youth, the Senior Patrol Leader,” said Stadler in an email to the AJC. “She also completed the National Youth Leadership Training and was elected by her scouting peers into the Order of the Arrow, a service organization within the BSA.
“Cecelia always made everyone feel welcome. If a scout was lagging or needed help, she was right there to assist. Cecelia was a star athlete (tennis) and exceptional scholar, yet she still made time for Scouts BSA and the Troop,” he added.
When asked about a merit badge that resonates with the Eagle Scout, the first aid badge ranks at the top.
“... the amount of times I’ve had to use those skills in real life is astounding and it’s surprising to see that a lot of people don’t have the basic level of first aid,” said Pumpelly. “For me personally, learning FAST (Facial drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulties and Time) stroke acronym I was able to identify what was happening with a family member and knew immediate assistance was needed. Without having been through that … you never know what is going to happen, so just having one or two of those acronyms was a little bit of knowledge in place to save someone’s life.”
The charge of scouting has been invaluable and now have a skill set that I believe “will last my entire life,” she said. “I know that every woman who has been through this program has a different journey and they get different things out of it, but they are better off than they were before.”
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