BEST AND BRIGHTEST: Area’s first female Eagle Scout excels
Astronaut Neil Armstrong was an Eagle Scout. So was former President Gerald Ford and movie director Steven Spielberg.
In 110 years of history, only about 6% of those in Boy Scouts of America attained that highest rank. Until recently, none were young women.
In February, Sierra Dooley, a Manitou High School student, became the Pikes Peak Council’s first woman Eagle Scout. She joined 1,000 other women nationwide who were accorded that honor. It wasn’t until 2019 that girls could even become members of BSA and strive for Eagle Scout status.
Dooley was oh-so-ready, having yearned all her life to be part of the organization. She called herself a “shadow scout” because her brother was in scouts and her father was a scout master. “I more or less shadowed them from the time I was little, doing scout things with no recognition,” she explained.
In 2017 when she was 14, she was able to become part of the Venturing program through BSA. Her first adventure was at the iconic Philmont Scout Camp Ranch in New Mexico, where she carried a heavy pack on a 10-day, 82-mile hike.
At 15, she became a full-fledged scout when the BSA doors were fully opened to women and allowed them a path towards Eagle Scout rank.
Dooley credits scouts as inspiring her in all areas of her life.
Manitou Principal Jesse Hull lauds her leadership, honesty and integrity, and said, “Sierra has excelled in high school because of her high level of commitment in her academic and extracurricular activities.”
She is fifth academically in the Manitou senior class, has been a cheerleader for four years and is president of the school’s National Honor Society. She was instrumental in starting a voter registration program for junior and seniors. She also created an annual prom dress drive to help those in need, and was on the golf team.
The road to becoming an Eagle Scout is arduous at best, but for the inaugural group of young women, it was especially intense. They had to earn 21 badges before they turned 18. Operating in a pandemic made requirements even more difficult.
Dooley wasn’t daunted; she was motivated to prove that women were just as capable.
For her Eagle Scout service project, she became a trailblazer in another sense. She restored a worrisome crumbling hillside path from Manitou High School down to the stadium. She led the reclamation project in which 30 volunteers created water breaks to prevent erosion, planted grass to obliterate the deteriorated trail, and added stairs and fencing.
Her long-term goal is to study biology and continue her German language studies. She chose German to learn more about her ancestors.
She wants to go into medicine and is intrigued by the role medical examiners play in criminal justice investigations and natural disasters. “It’s not pretty, but it’s necessary,” she said.
She added, “Everyone wants to be remembered when they leave this earth. All cultures and religions have a way of dealing with grief and the afterlife. As a medical examiner, I would be playing a key role in that.”
Manitou High School
College Plans: University of Colorado, Boulder; Montana State University
Parent(s): Keren and Jonathan Dooley
Other: Eagle Scout; National Honors Society; Academic All State 1st Team