An Eagle Scout Court of Honor took place for Joshua Aaron Figueroa, of Troop 100, at St. Martin of Tours.
Joshua and his family, friends, Troop 100 Scoutmaster Vince Serianni and fellow Scouts gathered on Nov. 16 for Mass, followed by the Eagle Scout of Honor in the gym.
In all, to become an Eagle Scout, he earned 33 merit badges (the minimum is 21) and collected aluminum tabs to donate to the Ronald McDonald House at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. The tabs are recycled and weighed by a scrap metal company, and a donation is made to the Ronald McDonald House, which provides temporary lodging, transportation, meals and social services to families who travel to Philadelphia for pediatric care.
The ceremony was emceed by Troop 100 advancement chair Regina Giuffre., and the Rev. Andrew Lane, parochial administrator at St. Martin’s, offered grace before the meal.
Joshua was escorted to the stage by eight other Eagle Scouts. He was joined at the ceremony by, among others, his parents Jose Figueroa II and Magdalena Castro, and grandparents, Jose and Zoraida Figueroa, and the newest Eagle Scout presented them with pins.
Joshua’s dad presented him with the Eagle scarf, and his uncle and godfather, Aaron Figueroa, presented him with the Eagle pin.
Joshua presented mentor pins to Giuffre, his grandparents and Najm Hameed, a former Troop 100 member who is in the military, stationed in Jordan.
Joshua received citations from, among others, City Councilwoman Quetcy Lozada, Joe and Jill Biden, Mayor Cherelle Parker, state Sen. Tina Tartaglione, state Rep. Jose Giral, American Legion Latin American Post 840 and TV host and podcaster Mike Rowe.
Others in attendance included Christian Aument and Justine Philyaw (a St. Martin’s graduate), the principal and vice principal, respectively, of Mercy Career & Technical High School, where Joshua is a student.
“It’s special to me that all these people are here to see me,” Joshua said.
Joshua, who turns 18 on Dec. 5, is a graduate of St. Martin of Tours and a senior at Mercy Tech. He is on the bowling and baseball teams (both coached by his grandfather). After graduation, he hopes to work for the Transportation Security Administration, where his dad is a federal officer. He also plans to stay active with Troop 100.
Joshua encourages young people to join Scouts.
“It’s 100 percent worth it,” he said. “It’s fun. You play sports, go camping and meet other people. And it helps you in the future.” ••
Troop 100 meets Wednesdays at 7 p.m. at the St. Martin of Tours gym, 5701 Loretto Ave. Call Jose Figueroa at 215-668-4694.
