Trony Clifton Jr.

Community service is a significant part of my life. It is deeply ingrained in me as an Eagle Scout. Achieving the rank of Eagle Scout is an honor that was recently bestowed upon me this year. I have been a Boy Scout for almost 12 years of my life. For me, it has been more than just the camaraderie and the leadership skills learned; it has been about the opportunity to serve and uplift my communities. For my Eagle Scout project, I restored a firehouse bell in my hometown of Colts Neck, New Jersey.
I have gained skills through being an Eagle Scout and a servant leader to prepare and empower the younger scouts to be their best and strongest selves. This is done by availing myself to listen, encourage, challenge, correct, and guide them. Through this type of onward dedicated support, they are empowered and rise through the various ranks in the BSA organization while working on a multitude of projects in the community. The key has been talent development which I learned through National Youth Patrol Training. It teaches what a leader must BE, what a leader must KNOW, and what a leader must DO. A clear focus was placed on teaching the key elements of HOW TO. A Quest for the Meaning of Leadership brought the skills to life during this (on-site-camping) week-long training program (Boy Scouts, 2022).
In addition to my skills as a patrol leader, in which I lead peers, younger scouts, as well as adult leaders for special projects: I was in charge of proposals, writing, planning, budgeting, food and refreshments, donations, and logistics for up to 40 people for more than 15 events. I have also been a group leader for special projects in Coding for Animation while attending Princeton University for Summer Institute for the Gifted. I attended Summer Institute for the Gifted for five years, where I learned about world issues, game design, robotics, coding, and digital animation.