After first obtaining the Eagle Scout rank and then reaching the rank of Sea Scout Quartermaster, on March 8th, 2024, William Kennedy completed his trifecta of highest rank in three different Scouting programs, earning his Venturing Summit. From attending National and World Jamborees, to becoming a man overboard with a broken arm at SEAL Training, William had an exceptional journey completing this ultimate (daunting) challenge. To top it all off, he completed everything a month before turning 19 years old.
Attaining Eagle Scout has been a goal since he looked through Boys Life magazine while in Cub Scouts. He joined Scouts BSA in 2016 and the catalyst that would start his journey for the other two achievements was the 2019 World Jamboree, which would cause the motivation to be more active in Scouting, leading him to join Sea Scouts in late 2020 and Venture Scouts in 2021.
His original Skipper, Tom Ballew, helped motivate him to get Sea Scout Quartermaster, especially since William was one of the last Scouts for Skipper Ballew, who sailed under him when he joined Ship 942. After Skipper Ballew left, William wanted to be one of the many Sea Scouts who earned Quartermaster under his guidance.
By the time he really invested in Venturers, William had nearly completed his Eagle Scout and was on his way to Quartermaster, so he decided he wanted the Trifecta by earning his Venturing Summit. However, the main reason that he decided to earn the Venturing Summit was because of how much personal growth, expanded opportunities, and unique advancement he had. While advancing in Scouts BSA and Sea Scouts are similar, advancing in Venturers was another motivator for William to go all the way.
William was primarily a lone Scout, or a Scout without a troop or unit, so attending the 2019 World Scout Jamboree (WSJ) was William’s highlight for Scouts BSA. As previously mentioned, this experience was not only the catalyst to this fantastic journey but also the authentic experience of being in a Patrol for the first time, being a part of a unit comprised of over 40 scouts from all around the world. William stated, “People take for granted the impact patrols have. No matter the size, having a patrol is probably the best way to experience scouting.” On a more fun note, when 14-year-old William accidentally cut his finger, requiring three stitches, he mainly remembered how “the medical tents looked just like the M*A*S*H hospitals, and it was awesome.”
He obtained a good portion of his leadership training in Sea Scouts, which required him to learn the complex skills necessary to sail a ship and know them well enough to teach newer Sea Scouts. His most memorable Sea Scout moment was Sea Scout Advanced Leadership (SEAL) Training in Seattle. It was nine days, but he stayed for three more days to volunteer at the Sea Fair. He thoroughly enjoyed learning unique leadership styles you wouldn’t learn in Youth Training. SEAL did this through Drills, which taught necessary responses for emergencies and responsibility and accountability for yourself and others. With two drills a day, one would always be a man overboard drill, the other being any drill the Bosun-of-the-day chose. For one day, William got to be the man overboard with a broken arm, but for his drill as Bosun, he chose hydraulics failure, which involved tasks like manually turning the ship’s rudder.
His most memorable Venturing moment was when he was a part of the Venturing Explorers Sea Scouts International (VESSI) Scouts staff for the 2023 National Jamboree. While there as a Venturer, he worked as the Sea Scout Bosun, teaching NSJ Scouts how to tie the complex Bosun Knot. He was only there for the first half, a little over a week, due to being a staff member at the 2023 WSJ. He learned valuable lessons about management and keeping things under control, made some great friends, and met some great people. In particular, the Mercy Flight Explorer Scouts were impressive, working at the medical tent. William stated, “If you mention any sort of injury to them, you will get a complete checkup every time.”
However, his all-time favorite memory from his entire Scouting life was going to Philmont in the summer of 2023 with Troop 581, the Troop he’d become an Assistant Scoutmaster. With two crews, William, one of the crew leaders, had an unforgettable experience and memories that will last a lifetime.
In the last four years, William K worked 1300 community volunteer hours, received his Eagle Rank on May 22nd, 2022, Sea Scout Quartermaster on October 15th, 2023, and finally, his Venturing Summit on March 8th, 2024. William stated, “I felt relieved because I wanted to get this before going to college this fall, taking a gap year to focus on Scouting,” and “can finally relax and not worry about managing my time.” When asked what advice to give to other scouts having experienced so much of Scouting, he first said, “You are never too old to make the most out of Scouting.” followed with, “I was mainly, a provisional Scout, so all Scouts should always look for provisional opportunities, regardless if your troops participates. If you want to do it, go for it.”
