Justin Shao earns Eagle Scout Award

Justin William Shao has qualified to become an Eagle Scout, his Court of Honor was held on December 7, 2022. He is the son of Bill Shao and Sherry Zhou of Pleasanton and is a member of Troop 948 sponsored by Graceway Church of Pleasanton. Many thanks go to his scoutmaster, Satyajit Phanse.

Justin has been active in scouting and has held the leadership positions of Patrol Leader, Instructor and Scribe. He loved scouting and learning about the great outdoors and getting to spend time with his friends in his troop and especially in his patrol. To become an Eagle Scout, participation and being a leader is a requirement.

For his Eagle project, Justin designed drum stand bins for his school’s band room. He first designed the bins using an online designing software to get the overall dimensions of the bin. He then went to Home Depot to buy the materials needed to construct the bins. After getting all the materials, he asked young scouts to help with his Eagle project. They helped put the drum stand bins together and spray-painted the bins. After that, they helped transport the bins into the band rooms for display. Eagle scout projects are required to learn leadership skills and give back to the community.

Justin is a junior at Amador Valley High School. He received the Gold Presidential Volunteer Service Award in 2021, was active in Track & Field, Officer in a Christian Club, part of Coding and Engineering Club. He also completed the advanced piano level. After high school graduation, he plans on studying mechanical or electrical engineering at a four-year university.

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, Andrew Evans, andrew.evans@scouting.org