Justin Goss is a 16-year-old Alconbury High School junior who recently became an Eagle Scout. The 11-year Scout and athlete recently discussed his ascendancy to the highest order of Scouting.

How long have you been Scouting?

I started in 1996 as a Cub Scout.

What have you had to do to earn the rank of Eagle Scout?

I earned my Arrow of Life and had to earn so many merit badges, 21. I have 40 merit badges.

What was the hardest merit badge to earn?

The environmental science badge was tough. Most of the badges are fun to work on, but this was a lot of paperwork and research.

A lot of young people start in Scouts as youngsters but drift off over the years. What kept you in Scouting?

My dad is an Eagle Scout, and it’s something I always wanted to do. There’s a ton of great activities and unique experiences.

Do you ever collaborate with English Scouts?

We do projects with English Scouts from time to time and one of the Eagle Scouts in my troop is British.

What did you do as your Eagle Scout project?

I built learning boxes for England’s Ramsey Rural Museum that visitors could use to learn about Victorian archeology.

What do you look forward to in 2007 with Scouting?

We are going to do a hike along Hadrian’s Wall later this year, and in two weeks we are going to camp out on the HMS Belfast in London, which should be very cool.

Do you feel that your years in the Scouts have truly made you better prepared, as they say?

I definitely feel more prepared for life than if I had not become an Eagle Scout. I’ve learned a lot over the years about Scouting and about leadership and service.

What do you do outside of Scouting?

I play tennis here at Alconbury and plan to play soccer as well.

As a junior in high school, it’s about time to start thinking about university. What kind of plans do you have?

I would like to attend Vanderbilt and study psychology.

You’d like to be a psychologist?

I’ll probably enlist in the ROTC and become a military psychologist.