Donald Martocello, Ryan Dahl, and Cody Eckels Honored by NESA

The Boy Scouts of America has awarded three Eagle Scouts the 2014 National Eagle Scout Association (NESA) scholarships, totaling nearly $80,000.  NESA awards the STEM Scholarship annually to one applicant who plans to pursue a  career in a STEM-related field. The 2014 $50,000 STEM Scholarship recipient is Donald E. Martocello III, of Palmyra, N.J. Martocello is a member of the Garden State Council, Troop 601, in Moorestown, N.J., and a Palmyra High School graduate. He plans to study molecular biology at Princeton University.

The United Health Foundation Scholarship is awarded annually to one applicant who has chosen to pursue a career in the health care field. The applicant must be willing to give back to an underserved community. This year’s recipient is Ryan Dahl of Overland Park, Kan., who received the 2014 United Health Foundation Scholarship totaling $25,000. Dahl is a member of the Heart of America Council, Troop 201, and a graduate of Olathe North High School. He plans to study biology at Yale University.

Cody Eckels, of Tyrone, Pa., was awarded the 2014 Glenn A. and Melinda W. Adams National Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year Award, which totals $2,500 in scholarship money. Eckels is a member of the Laurel Highlands Council, Troop 300, and attends Tyrone High School. His “Eagle for Freedom” project added seven new flagpoles to an existing veterans memorial, and displays bricks engraved with veterans’ names, a new fallen veteran monument honoring fallen soldiers, and two engraved black granite benches.

Watch the video to learn more about these extraordinary Eagle Scouts.

The Eagle Scout Award is a performance- based achievement whose standards have been well-maintained over the years. Not every boy who joins a Boy Scout troop earns the Eagle Scout rank. This represents more than 2.25 million Boy Scouts who have earned the rank since 1912.

Founded in 1972, the National Eagle Scout Association (NESA) maintains contact with Eagle Scouts to sustain their interest in Scouting. Any Eagle Scout may join the association. Applications for membership in NESA are available through your local council, on the BSA website (www.scouting.org), or by contacting the Eagle Scout Service at the national office.