Eagle Scout Award for Brandon Kong

Brandon Kong has qualified as an Eagle Scout at recent Eagle Board of Review and will receive the award at an upcoming Eagle Scout Court of Honor. Brandon is the son of MingMay Pang and James Kong of Pleasanton, California.

He is a member of Troop 941, sponsored by Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 6298.

Thanks go to his Scoutmaster, Patrick Markel for his dedication to Scouting and help along the way.

Brandon has been active in Scouting and has served as Patrol Leader, Outdoor Ethics Guide and Librarian. Brandon’s most memorable part of Scouting lies in the unique and unforgettable experiences it has forged in his life. He has created countless cherished memories on camping trips with his fellow scouts—sailing through the Florida Keys at BSA Florida Sea Base, trudging through knee-deep snow during snow camping, preparing meals as a grubmaster, and enjoying friendly competitions with other troops at Wente Scout Reservation during summer. These moments are ones he will remember and treasure for a lifetime.

For his Eagle Scout project, he constructed three wooden planter boxes for Sycamore Grove Park (Livermore Area Recreation and Parks District). These planter boxes replaced an ageing chain link fence surrounding the park’s native plant garden. These planter boxes will help protect the garden from deer as well as improve the park’s aesthetics. Overall, this project took 200 man hours and required 16 Scout and adult helpers. Thanks to Gilberto Rodriguez from Livermore Area Recreation and Park District (LARPD) for his assistance in providing this opportunity.

Brandon is a junior at Foothill High School. His interests include Aerospace and automotive engineering, physics, fencing and racing. He is the Youth Member-At-Large for San Francisco Regional Mensa, representing the voice of gifted youth in the Bay Area. He is also a member of Foothill High School’s Science Bowl team and Engineering Club.

From a young age, Brandon has been deeply fascinated by science, particularly physics. This passion has inspired him to pursue a future in engineering, with a focus on either aerospace or mechanical fields. In his professional life, he aspires to work on projects that have a meaningful, positive impact on society. He would like to create innovative solutions that help people and align with the values he has developed, many of which have been shaped through his experiences in Scouting.

To earn the rank of Eagle Scout, a Scout must be active in their troop, provide leadership, earn 21 merit badges including the areas of citizenship, camping, communications, cooking and lifesaving or emergency preparedness as well as demonstrate that they live by the principles of the Scout Oath and the Scout Law. They must also plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project benefiting a religious institution, school, or community group.

Anyone interested in joining any level of Scouting can contact the Twin Valley District Executive, Elijah Gonzles, elijah.gonzales@scouting.org.