Two local East County Boy Scouts have recently earned the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest award to youth members of Scouting America, formerly Boy Scouts of America. Along with two of their friends, the four joined local Cub Scout Pack 106 in Alpine when in first grade. When two of the boys moved to Pacific Beach to attend Pacific Beach Middle School, the four friends, Jacob Rakov, Luka Slater, Vincenzo Zoni, and Nolan Hood, joined Boy Scout Troop 395 in La Jolla, even if it meant a long commute for the two still living in Alpine.
To achieve the rank of Eagle Scout, a Scout has to earn 21 merit badges, serve his troop in a leadership position, and plan and carry out a substantial service project for his community. Roughly 6% of youth who begin Scouting receive this honor. An even smaller percentage of scouts complete all 12 years in scouting – Tiger rank through Eagle rank.
Jacob Rakov, 18, designed and installed an information board in Wright’s Field, a 230-acre nature preserve in Alpine for his Eagle Scout project. It features a map on one side and a spot for flyers on the other. Jacob’s favorite merit badge was welding. It was his first introduction to welding, and he still enjoys it to this day. His favorite scout trip was to Sea Base in the Bahamas. It was the most relaxing scout trip ever and the Bahamas were beautiful.
Jacob’s best overall scouting memory took place at the top of San Gregornio Mountain where after a long day of hiking, he was fortunate to get 12 full hours of sleep. He’ll be spending the next four years studying engineering at Washington State University.
Luka Slater, 18, teamed up with “Fresh Start Surgical Gifts” for his Eagle Scout project. They are a nonprofit organization that provides free surgeries for children with physical deformities. He put together 140 “comfort kits” with everything from toiletries to games and plush toys to distract them from the stress of surgery and aid in their recovery.
Luka’s favorite merit badge was Aviation, which he completed during a visit to the USS Midway. He loved learning about the ins and outs of keeping a plane in the air and especially training on the flight simulator.
Luka’s favorite trip was to Camp Meriwether in Oregon. He enjoyed making new friends, hanging out at the beach, and completing his shotgun shooting and cooking merit badges. Luka graduated from Steele Canyon High School. Next year he will attend Cal State Fullerton majoring in Computer Science.
Vincenzo Zoni, 18, of Pacific Beach, completed his Eagle Scout project at his church, Foothills United Methodist in La Mesa. The outdoor worship space features eight benches, a cross, and an altar, and is named in honor of his late grandmother, Diana Wright. His favorite scouting trip was the Bahamas sailing trip. It was a beautiful setting and he loved spending so much time in the water – snorkeling, fishing, body surfing, paddleboarding and sailing.
Cenzo’s funniest Scouting memory was at Okpik, which is part of Scouting America’s Northern Tier High Adventure Camp in Minnesota. The crew were out cross-country skiing when one person fell and then everyone went down like dominoes. One thing that Cenzo learned from scouting that he will take with him into the future is to do a good turn daily. Cenzo recently graduated from Saint Augustine High School. In the fall he will attend the University of Hawaii where he will study marine science.
Nolan Hood, 18, of Pacific Beach, coordinated with his high school (MBHS) baseball program to build a memorial for late Coach Dennis Pugh as his Eagle Scout project. He led volunteer scouts to refinish 4 foot wooden honorary #17 numbers. They mounted them floating in a hand-stacked planter he designed. The project is central at Pugh Pavilion for sporting gatherings.
Nolan’s favorite merit badge was lifesaving because he picked up skills that inspired him for future lifeguard opportunities. Nolan’s favorite scouting trip was living on a boat and sleeping under the stars on the water for a week at Sea Base at Marsh Harbour, Bahamas.
