In March, twins Gianluca and Stefano Seta (class of 2027) both received their Eagle Scout awards, a tremendous honor that few Scouts achieve. At their ceremony the twins were surrounded by teachers and friends from Woodward. We spoke to the boys about their love of Scouting and what motivated them to reach the organization's highest echelon.
 

When did you both start in Scouting?

Gianluca: We started Cub Scouts in 2018 and then bridged up to Boy Scouts two years later.
 

What have you each enjoyed most about your experience in the Scouts?

G: I really enjoyed our trip to visit our sister troop in Uganda. I also loved the high adventure trips, including a week on a sailboat in St. Thomas USVI as part of Sea Base, a twelve-day rugged hike at Philmont, New Mexico, and a winter dogsledding adventure in Ely, Minnesota.

Stefano: I have most enjoyed the training and skills I have learned, including advanced CPR, leadership, and effective communication, and the lifelong friendships I have made in scouting.

 

You sold a lot of popcorn over your time in the Scouts. How much did you sell, and what was your technique for selling so much?

G: Stefano and I worked as a team and sold more than $151,000 of popcorn. This raised more than $50,000 for the Atlanta Area Council to help fund scout trips and maintain our scout campgrounds in Georgia. We set up our popcorn stand at Lowe's every weekend from July through December and set out a display of photos from our scouting adventures. We learned the art of talking to adults with poise, respect, and eye contact, and we learned to take rejection with a smile. Sometimes, the very people who walked past us without speaking later came back to purchase popcorn when we helped them load their potting soil and mulch into their car.

S: We helped people load their purchases into their cars, changed a flat tire in the parking lot, and assisted an injured driver who was trapped in her car after a head-on collision on the road in front of Lowes. The scout law says that a scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. We try to live by that law in everything we do. Being helpful, friendly, courteous, and cheerful helped us to sell popcorn and to even develop a clientele of regular customers who came back year after year to buy popcorn from us and ask us about our scouting adventures. It was fun!

 

Who are your mentors at Woodward and what do they mean to you?

G: I have tremendous respect for so many teachers at Woodward who selflessly pour their passion and their energy into teaching us. Among those are Mr. Lauran Hunt, my jazz band director, who has been teaching at Woodward for more than 40 years. Ms. Valerie Morgan, my Middle School band director, first inspired me to play music and has been, and continues to be, a trusted friend and mentor. Mr. Jeffrey Rowser, my current band director, inspires me to pursue excellence and pours so much love and energy into conducting that his passion becomes contagious. Through his dedication to our fine arts program, Mr. Stephen Rotz has inspired me to follow my dreams of playing music in college. Mr. Jeff Floyd, my ninth and tenth grade math teacher, wrote my textbook and encouraged me to pursue my love of math. Dr. Dale Stahl, my current Macroeconomics teacher, sparks my interest in economics and challenges me to think outside the box. And Ms. Stephanie Trumble turns English, a subject that I don't have an affinity for, into something that I genuinely enjoy.

S: I have a lot of mentors at Woodward, and my relationships with them are very important to me. Ms. Kristin Jackson, Director of Horizons, gave me the opportunity to work as manager of concessions with the proceeds going to support the Horizons program. Her mentorship, her trust in me, and her friendship inspire me to be the best person I can be. Ms. Valerie Morgan has been my trusted friend and band director since Middle School. She has encouraged me, taught me, and cared about me on a very personal level, and she means the world to me. Mr. Jeffrey Rowser is a strong and passionate role model, who brings endless energy and enthusiasm to my band world, and he inspires me to push myself to a higher level of excellence. Mr. John Brandhorst and Mr. Trevon Broad are great mentors to me, and I value their friendship and the trust they place in me.

 

What instruments do you play in the marching band and what do you each enjoy most about being in the band?

G: I play alto saxophone in the marching band. I enjoy the camaraderie that begins at band camp in August and the spirit of working together to perfect our show. Marching band is a team sport, and the band room is a place where we all know that we belong.

S: I have played percussion and baritone, and I currently play tuba. I am very honored to have been selected to serve as drum major in the upcoming season. I enjoy the close connections with people in the band. We are a family joined by our shared love of music. The band room is our home, a place where we have friends and band directors who care about us.

 

Attaining the rank of Eagle Scout is very difficult and not many Scouts make it that far. What was the hardest part of that journey, and what’s something you each learned along the way?

G:  In order to earn Eagle Scout, one must fulfill a lot of requirements, including numerous specific merit badges and a project. Among the greatest challenges in this journey are time management and organization. I had to stay organized and efficient with my time in order to complete the numerous requirements for each merit badge and my project. It was a lot, and I had to stay focused on my goal. I learned patience, persistence, and fortitude, and the satisfaction that comes from doing something hard.

S: There were a lot of hard things on my trail to Eagle Scout. Hiking 12 days in rugged terrain in New Mexico carrying heavy backpacks was hard. Hiking quickly down off a mountain in the dark to outpace an approaching forest fire was hard. Rafting more than 50 miles on the New River in West Virginia through level 4 and 5 rapids was hard. Dog sledding in zero degree temperatures in Minnesota was hard. Earning 43 merit badges was hard. Scouting taught me that I can do hard stuff and that the satisfaction that comes from challenging myself and succeeding makes the hard work worth it.