Two Student Leaders Become First Recipients of Elmira College Scout Award

The first recipients of the Scout Achievement Award, Nathan Lowry '28 (left) and Maria John '29 (right) with Patrick Gillette, Elmira College Director of Admissions.

Before attending Elmira College, Nathan Lowry '28 and Maria John '29 donated hundreds of service hours to their local communities and earned the highest possible rank available in Scouting America (formerly the Boy Scouts of America) and Girl Scouts of the USA. Both achieved the rank of Eagle Scout from Scouting America, and John also earned the Gold Award in the GSUSA. To honor their efforts and recognize their community leadership, they will be the first students to receive the newly launched EC Scout Achievement Award, a merit-based scholarship that provides $2,500 annually up to $10,000.

Lowry and John each shared their scouting experiences and what EC’s Achievement Award means to them.

A Business Administration major from Boise, Idaho, Lowry got into scouting when he was six. His dad, who also earned the rank of Eagle Scout, was passionate about scouting and passed on that love to Lowry.

“I was glad to be in the Scouts. I enjoy the outdoors, and I got to help build a sense of community within my troop,” he shared.

When Lowry turned 14, he began working on his Eagle Scout Service Project, a significant requirement toward earning the Eagle Scout rank.

“I built a garden for a detox center, from knee-high weeds to planter boxes,” he said jokingly.

The large garden, which continues to be used, was for a nearby detox center.

“The employees at the center were really good to me. They listened to me and gave me the access and materials I needed,” he shared. “They didn’t have the man-hours, and that’s what I could give them.”

Lowry spent about 276 hours building and installing 12 planter boxes.

Now, as a recipient of the Scout Achievement Award, Lowry feels pride and gratitude for his efforts and accomplishments.

“Not many people earn their Eagle, and I get to say I’ve earned that,” he said. “The Scout Achievement Award will help a ton.”

Lowry earned a full-tuition scholarship to attend EC. However, the scholarship doesn’t pay for certain fees and expenses. To pay for those, he works and takes out loans. However, this summer, he plans to complete an internship providing data analytics for a baseball team. Thanks to the Scout Achievement Award, he won’t have to take out an additional loan and can fully take advantage of this important learning opportunity.

A Biology major from Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, John is in EC’s six-year accelerated BS to DO program. Her scouting journey initially began when she was in kindergarten when she joined the Daisy Scouts. She took a break after moving schools in second grade, but returned to scouting in high school.

“I rejoined because I wanted the sense of community and friendship I missed from my old troop,” she explained. “I value the teachings of the Girl Scouts and their message to empower young girls.”

At the same time, John decided to join Scouting America after the organization made it possible to start an all-girls scout troop.

“I was drawn to the organization because I felt like it was a great opportunity to learn new skills like tying knots, making a fire, and exploring nature through camping trips.”

To earn her Gold Award through GSUSA, John created a program to teach young kids about medicine using the power of play. She called it the Teddy Bear Clinic.

“I hosted events in my community where kids would bring in a stuffed animal and go through different stations, including the dentist, first aid, X-ray, and primary care. At the stations, the kids learned skills like putting on a band-aid, brushing their teeth properly, and learning how to take an X-ray using a DIY play X-ray machine.”

John initially reached 150 kids, but also built a website with instructions on how to host a Teddy Bear Clinic so more kids can learn.

For her Scouting America Eagle Scout Service Project, she raised around $2,000 to purchase 95 glucose monitors for underserved pregnant women with gestational diabetes. She created a GoFundMe and led a scout-run pancake fundraiser.

“I saw the struggles of these pregnant women to get necessities during my time volunteering at the hospital, and I wanted to help,” she shared.

“To me, earning this award validated all of the hard work I put into completing my projects. It affirmed all of the skills I had to use and learn throughout my projects, including leadership, delegation, problem-solving, and most importantly, perseverance.”

“I am grateful to the EC community for celebrating this achievement because the work young people put into earning these awards should be recognized,” said John.

“This award adds to our ability to keep higher education affordable, and we’re excited to help students like Nathan Lowry and Maria John pursue their dreams,” said Patrick Gillette, Elmira College Director of Admissions. “We value the dedication and leadership they provided to their hometown communities as well as the energy and community spirit they have brought to the EC campus.”

For additional details about this award, click here.