Bay Area women breaking barriers as 1st Eagle Scouts in 111-year history

SAN ANSELMO, Calif. -- "On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country..."

One of the first steps towards being a good person is that when you make a promise, you keep it. When you set a goal, you reach it. Scouts learn those values from the beginning.

If they're perseverant, they prove it.

"It means being a leader and being driven," said Gina Schneider.

"It was definitely very hard," added Stefanie Iojica.

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"We did it nearly all together," finished Bella Segovia.

They're three of the four freshly-minted women Eagle Scouts from Troop 1015 in San Anselmo. They are trail blazers in every way. Part of the first class of female Eagle scouts in 111 years.

"It says that scouting is aligning with the times. Inclusion," said Lisa Lillenkohl, the scoutmaster from Troop 1015.

Only five-percent of scouts earn the Eagle rank. Most young men take five or six years to earn that status. But, Scouting's change to allow women came so late that they had only two. The women made Eagle Scout in one-third of the time.

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They showed off some of their projects, Stefanie planted a hillside that will blossom with wildflowers in Tiburon. In San Anselmo, Gina built ran a project to reroute a trail that had been eroding. In two days, fifteen people covered the damaged trail with matting and added fencing to reroute traffic for now.

"How did you learn to build a fence?" we asked Gina.

"You learn what you have to learn. You just have to dig the post holes."

Just dig in---a lesson learned by three of the first female Eagle scouts, ever, though from now on, gender should be irrelevant. Against all stereotypes, odds, and expectations, they set the goal to become Eagle scouts. A promise is a promise.

"You're not boasting?" we asked Gina. "Oh, I'm pretty excited."