Willowbrook junior earns Eagle Scout status

Pictured is Willowbrook junior Shea Downer, who recently earned Eagle Scout status. She's pictured with Villa Park VFW Post 2801 Commander James "JB" Blankshain.

Willowbrook junior Shea Downer recently earned Eagle Scout status (on Oct. 4, 2025), the highest rank attainable in Scouting America.

Those who receive that rank earn a total of 21 merit badges; demonstrate Scout Oath and Scout Law in their daily life; and plan, develop and give leadership to others in a service project. Read more about the Eagle Scout process at https://tinyurl.com/EagleScoutInfo.

Downer is with Troop 9117 in Elmhurst, and she joined Scouting America as a Webelo in 2018. She said her older brother inspired her to sign up.

“My brother, Pierce, became an Eagle Scout before I joined,” Downer said. “I have always looked up to my brother, and – as a little sister of a scout – I often attended his troop meetings and would be present for some Eagle Scout projects from other scouts in his troop. When I was presented with the opportunity to join Scouting America, I immediately said yes.”

For her Eagle Scout project, Downer made squirrel nesting boxes at Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn. Downer said the project involved contacting the center and implementing a plan to allow younger scouts to participate and help. She created kits with precut wood, so scouts younger than 16 years old could contribute. Downer herself was younger than 16 at the time, so her father cut the pieces after she measured them. It took about six hours to assemble the boxes, and she then delivered them to the center.

Downer said she plans to stay involved with Scouting America moving forward. She is a Senior Patrol Leader for an organization called National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) with Three Fires Council. She has been volunteering with that group for four years and plans to continue as an adult.

In the future, Downer plans to attend college to major in sonography and become an ultrasound technician.