Anthony Kelley didn’t just earn the cooking merit badge on his way to becoming an Eagle Scout, he discovered a career.
Kelley, a freshman at Southern New Hampshire University, celebrated his achievement of Eagle Scout last Saturday, Sept. 29, in the Glendale Methodist Church, and it was a journey he said provided him with fun, camping skills and even a future career.
“I did earn a lot of merit badges, but my favorite was cooking,” said Kelley, 18. “That’s actually what I’m going to college for right now. I don’t know what I want to do 100 percent, but I know I want to go into the culinary hospitality field. That’s something I discovered in scouts.”
Kelley actually went on to study at Everett High School’s culinary arts program for three years.
Kelley is the son of Dan Kelley, who is the Scoutmaster of Everett’s Troop 814, and his mother, Ann.
Kelley started in scouting when he was just a Wolf in Cub Scouts, when he was in the second grade. Since that time, he’s continued in scouting in Everett over those many years.
“It is a great accomplishment, and I am proud I was able to get it done,” he said. “I always liked the camping trips and once I got more into it, I did more and more of the requirements. Then I found out that when you’re an Eagle Scout it can open up scholarships and job interviews. That really helped me to be motivated to finish it up.
Kelley did his Eagle project at the Glendale Church, completely refurbishing a room that had been unusable. He reconstructed the walls, insulated the room and brought in new furniture. Now the room is usable for the church.
In the end, Kelley said he believes being an Eagle Scout will help those in the future know that he has accomplished something very important.
“People know that to be an Eagle Scout, you have to have leadership and discipline,” he said. “They know you have these values and leadership skills. It’s definitely on my resume now.”