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Scout Soars Far Beyond Eagle
James Calderwood has so many merit badges that he had to sew together three sashes to display them all. The bugling badge was hardest, he says.
(By Michael Williamson -- The Washington Post)
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Astronomy: "I studied astrophysics at Johns Hopkins University one summer."
Cinematography: "I filmed a video on the proper use of knives that was shown to cooks in the military. Like if you want to cut a thick fruit as the garnish, I demonstrated the proper way to cut it."
Indian lore: "I spent a lot of time with the Native Americans. I stayed with the Hopis and the Navajos in Arizona."
Crime Prevention: "I visited the Montgomery County Detention Center and had a tour with one of the guards. The whole place. And I mean, it was fascinating. Really, really fascinating."
Salesmanship: "Right now, I have a job where I'm the middleman for a T-shirt company. I find groups of kids who want T-shirts for something, and I design them."
Dentistry: "When my mom was surgeon general of the Coast Guard, she organized a merit-badge day, and she had some of the dentists come in."
Family life: "A lot of it is sort of communicating with your family, learning about what you have to do to be a responsible member of your family, to help maintain the cohesion of the family unit."
Plumbing: "Man, I've fixed more toilets in this house."
For Calderwood, next comes college. He said his high school grade average is about 91 percent. He participates in theater, debating and other activities. And he is well-rounded in terms of personal interests. Just check out the badges.
"I want to be a doctor," he said. "I want to go into medicine in the developing world."
He said he applied to 13 colleges. "One of my essays was about climbing Kilimanjaro. One of my essays was about my first time being a surgical assistant. One of my essays was about the first time I worked in the developing world."
Acceptance letters have poured in from universities: from Drexel and Villanova, from Creighton and Fordham, from the universities of Pennsylvania and Maryland. On and on. Some offered him slots in high honors programs.
He isn't sure where he'll go.
He has to make up his mind this month, and, finally, with no more badges to earn, he has the time to think about it.
Least favorite badge: "Insect study was something I wasn't as fascinated by as much as the other ones," he said. "But there wasn't a badge that I dreaded getting. I mean, every single badge intrigued me."
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