Within the Boy Scouts of America, the title of Eagle Scout is a distinction that few scouts ever achieve. The requirements, which include earning 21 merit badges and completing a service project, are both numerous and broad. As a result, only seven percent of Scouts nationwide earn their Eagle.

Those hurdles have proved unencumbering for senior Mike Hua, who just recently completed the service component of his Eagle Project. For this aspect of his project, Mike designed and built a set of skateboard and longboard racks for school.

Due to the absence of skateboard racks, Mike decided to address this perceived need.

“I see a lot of kids lugging their longboards around the whole day,” Mike said. “I think the racks will be very beneficial for students that skateboard or longboard to the school.”

The racks are constructed out of steel with welded joints and powdercoat paint, and are intended to be a convenient way for students to store their skateboards during the school day.

Initially, the idea of constructing skateboard racks was introduced by Vice Principal Galen Rosenberg. In search of students willing to take on the project, Rosenberg contacted the robotics advisor Karen Davis. Upon hearing this, Mike decided to take up the opportunity for his Eagle Scout Project.

After designing the racks using computer-aided design (CAD) software, Mike built the racks with the help of fellow robotics team members and a handful of scouts from his troop.

The project, and eventual Eagle, marks the culmination of Mike’s scouting career, which began when he was in fifth grade. Since then, Mike has continued as a boy scout, embarking on camping and hiking trips and taking on numerous leadership positions.
“They were all great experiences,” Mike said.