Scouting America offers more than 130 merit badges. By earning these awards, youth explore topics that could help shape their future hobbies or careers. Some ambitious Scouts earn every available merit badge.
Luka Herrera earned them all before turning 18 last fall. It was a nearly four-year endeavor as the Eagle Scout with Troop 522 of Overland Park, Kan., decided to go for it after earning Scouts BSA’s highest rank.
“I earned all the Eagle-required merit badges,” Luka says. “Once I earned Eagle, I had filled out one merit badge sash. Why not fill out another sash?”
Some merit badges were a challenge, calling on Luka to seek out-of-state opportunities. He headed to a Colorado ski resort to work on the Snow Sports merit badge, and he visited a lake in Arkansas to earn Scuba Diving. Some led to sentimental family moments, like working on the Woodworking merit badge with his grandfather.
We caught up with Luka to hear about some of his fondest memories of earning every merit badge.
Toughest merit badge?
While he found Surveying pretty confusing, and Water Sports left him with a lot of water up his nose, the toughest merit badge for Luka to earn was one of the rarest: Bugling. The requirements call for Scouts not only to learn how to clean and maintain the instrument but also to learn how to play it well enough to perform multiple calls.
It took Luka six months to master the brass wind instrument. But along the way, he got to play “Taps” at campouts and summer camp.
“That one was difficult; I didn’t think I could earn it,” Luka says. “Now I play the trumpet. It was kind of cool.”
The most fun?
Every merit badge can be fun, and Luka found a lot of fun opportunities, like touring a research nuclear reactor at the University of Missouri for the Nuclear Science merit badge. But one that stood out was seeing sunken objects at Beaver Lake in Arkansas.
“They sunk airplanes and cars underwater,” Luka says. “You could go down and explore them. That was really cool.”
His most recommended?
Many merit badges instill youth with skills and knowledge, not only for hobbies and careers, but also to make moral, wise decisions for the rest of their lives. Luka saw that benefit while earning the Personal Management merit badge.
“You can always use those skills to budget and see how much money you’re putting into savings,” he says. “That’s a really good life skill.”
He also suggests Scouts earn the Lifesaving and Search and Rescue merit badges, which teach skills that could save someone else’s life or your own.
Additional benefits to working on merit badges?
By earning certain merit badges, Scouts check off requirements for other Scouting America awards. Luka was able to also earn the National Outdoor Achievement Award, the World Conservation Award and the Complete Angler recognition.
While those personal achievements were nice to get, Luka discovered fulfillment in inspiring others to advance. He served as a den chief for seven years, mentoring Cub Scouts and encouraging them to cross over into Scouts BSA.
“It’s been cool to see how they want to earn merit badges and work on ranks,” he says. “It’s cool to see how they grow.”
His troop uses its weekly meetings to teach merit badges. Luka taught many younger Scouts the skills within the Inventing, Automative Maintenance and Skating badges.
Favorite way to earn them?
While Luka took advantage of merit badge events and summer camp offerings, he preferred finding merit badge counselors who were experts in their field.
“I enjoyed working one-on-one,” Luka says. “Usually, the adult leaders brought me into their company and showed me how the process goes and why they like it.”
Building friendships with adult leaders helped lead him to connections for other merit badges, but more importantly, it created a network of adults who would motivate him and cheer him on.
Biggest piece of advice?
Luka posted a list of merit badges on the refrigerator that he would cross off after he earned them. While that helped, a bigger factor in staying on task was having a group of friends that encouraged one another.
“We’d always push each other, and then everyone else would race to earn the next rank,” he says. “It motivated us to get our ranks and merit badges.”
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