LITTLETON, Colo. (KDVR) — For the first time in scouting history, females will be allowed to work for and earn the highest rank possible, Eagle.

Feb. 1, 2019 was a big day for 17-year-old Leah Jo Maloney. That was the day girls were allowed in the Boy Scouts, now called Scouts BSA. Feb. 8 is also a big day, that is when she receives the Scout’s highest rank. 

Eagle Scout is the highest rank one can achieve in scouting. And for Scout Maloney, it was a goal worth pursuing, “That has kind of always been in the back of my mind but didn’t really come into scouting with my heart set on earning eagle,” Maloney said.

Maloney has been in Troop 114 since the very first day girls were allowed into the Scouts BSA, Feb. 1, 2019. She enjoys the community, outdoor experience and leadership skills the Scouts BSA provide.

“It has given me a lot of opportunities to step outside of my comfort zone,” Maloney said.

Since the Scouts BSA began in 1908, they have been about challenges, new experiences and breaking boundaries. And Scout Maloney is about to break a big one. She will be one of a handful of female scouts in Colorado to have earned the top rank of Eagle.

“It’s huge, I feel so honored to get to be a part of that. It is such a monumental thing for Scouts, and I think for our country honestly,” Maloney said. 

“Just blown away. Could not be more proud, she has worked so hard and it has only been a two year time period,” Kim Maloney, Leah Jo’s mother said. 

So what was the most difficult part of her journey of becoming an Eagle Scout? “It was a lot to kind of take in at first and especially when you’re expected to be a leader from the beginning,” Maloney said.

Maloney says the Scouts taught her well, and like their motto, “be prepared”, she feels, she is.