Member of Bethel Park troop among 1st female Eagle Scouts in region
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Visitors to South Fayette’s Fairview Park can enjoy a game of chess or tic-tac-toe on one of four newly crafted, hand-painted picnic tables, thanks to the leadership efforts of a 16-year-old girl.
On March 5, Vidhisha Chahande, a sophomore at South Fayette Township High School, became the first female from the township, along with Bethel Park-based Troop 9228 and the Eagle Valley District in Scouts BSA, to receive the organization’s highest rank of Eagle Scout. She was also the third female in the larger Laurel Highlands Council to earn the rank.
In 2019, Boy Scouts of America became Scouts BSA, and began to welcome girls as well as boys into the program. Vidhisha joined shortly thereafter and quickly climbed her way through the ranks.
“She’s driven. For her to get Eagle in two to three years is really commendable,” said Jennifer Nestler, assistant scoutmaster of Troop 9228, who previously held the scoutmaster title. “She worked very hard.”
Before joining Scouts BSA at 13, Vidhisha researched the organization and was excited to find a place that focused on personal growth.
“Seeing this program that was dedicated just to you and your leadership skills, survival skills, communication skills, I thought I could learn something from this program,” she said.
Admittedly, she didn’t know much about Scouting when she joined. She had never been camping, and her first trip into the woods didn’t go so well. It was much colder than she anticipated, but she learned to be prepared for the frigid temperatures the next time.
Her second camping trip was a weeklong adventure on which she and three other girls joined roughly 200 boys at the Laurel Highlands Council’s National Youth Leadership Training.
“It was a lot of fun, even though I was surrounded by testosterone,” she said with a laugh.
Troop 9228, an all-girls troop, and its partner boys’ Troop 228, are Scout-led, meaning the youth take charge. That led to a lot of leadership opportunities for Vidhisha, as she rose the ranks from quartermaster to patrol leader to senior patrol leader.
Boys in the partner troop were very accepting of the girls, Vidhisha said. “They watched me grow, as a person and a Scout. I’m very thankful that they were on this journey with me.”
During the past few years as a Scout, Vidhisha spent 42 nights camping and participated in plenty of volunteer work with her troop. They held food drives for South Hills Interfaith Movement, based in Bethel Park, and sold popcorn as a fundraiser. One of Vidhisha’s favorite days was Cub Scout Fun Day, where she worked at the archery station.
She always looked forward to the meetings and quickly became a leader. When she joined Scouts, she was admittedly shy. Scouts helped take her out of her comfort zone and she grew her public speaking skills.
She was determined to receive the rank of Eagle. Her project was to build four picnic tables for South Fayette Township. Two were topped with games for interactive play. The other two feature abstract designs that are the perfect backdrop for Instagrammable photos.
Vidhisha worked through all of the details and sought help when necessary. In November, 30 people gathered at her house to assemble and stain the tables. Her family was a big help with the painting. In total, the project required 170 service hours.
“I learned a lot of leadership skills and I was able to really apply them,” she said. “I had to make sure that everything was getting done. Throughout the entire process of getting the project done, I had to communicate with a lot of different people, applying my social skills, my communications skills.”
She returned to the National Youth Leadership Training last year as an instructor and was one of only two females to present.
Vidhisha said she’s honored to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout. This is something that she will take with her for the rest of her life.
“I want to be able to serve as a role model for girls for years to come,” she said.
At the Court of Honor, Vidhisha was recognized by U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb and state Sen. Devlin Robinson, along with South Fayette’s commissioners. Lamb even raised a flag on Capitol Hill in her honor on Feb. 17.
Vidhisha hopes to someday enter the medical field. So it’s fitting that she excelled in learning first aid, and helped teach other girls.
“That’s what’s great about Scouts, they get the opportunity to lead and experience things before they’re expected to do it in business or the world,” Nestler said. “She will be successful in whatever she does.”
Vidhisha is the daughter of Shashikant and Swati Chahande.