Aaliyah P. ’27: Building Brighter Futures in the Philippines with Eagle Scout Project

When Aaliyah P. ’27 set out to identify an Eagle Scout project, she had no idea of the impact she would make more than halfway around the world. Thanks to her, children living in rural Philippines now have access to education via two Kariton Klasrum mobile carts which teachers and volunteers use to set up temporary school rooms in villages around the country.

“I always wanted to go to the Philippines, and I knew I wanted to make my project special,” explained Aaliyah, who joined scouting in 2019 when girls were first allowed to become Boy Scouts. “I was able to connect the two with this project.”

Aaliyah, who is Filipino by heritage, conceived the project after learning about the Balon Youth Alliance for Children (BYAC) in Bataan, Philippines, which runs the mobile classroom program. She then launched into a multi-step, international effort requiring her not only to work on the project herself, but also to enlist the help of countless volunteers to help build, ship, and deliver the carts to the Philippines.

Her Eagle Scout Coach welded the framework of the cart since Aaliyah, 15, was too young to use the tools. Another scout volunteer connected her with an executive from DHL Express, who agreed to donate the shipping, a savings which allowed Aaliyah to build a second cart. And a Filipino Boy Scout Troupe Aaliyah was in communication with helped her reassemble the cart which had to be disassembled for international shipping.

“So much time, effort, and resources, and so many people who helped, went into this project,” she said. “I knew in the end it was worth it when we got to see the kids and how much they would benefit from it.”

Aaliyah is now part of an elite group. Each year, approximately 6% of all scouts reach Eagle rank, and of that number, only about 1% are female. As an Eagle Scout, her next responsibility is mentoring the next generation of scouts so they, too, may one day attain this prestigious ranking.

Scouting is just one facet of Aaliyah’s life. At Notre Dame Prep, the sophomore serves as her class vice president, plays flute in the school band, volunteers for Camp Umoja, Club Umoja, and Refugee Youth Project, and is a two-sport athlete (basketball and badminton).