Diana teen becomes youngest female Eagle Scout in East Texas

Published 4:12 am Friday, May 2, 2025

The sign at the entryway to Windridge Therapeutic Equestrian Center of East Texas bears the Bible verse Isaiah 40:31: “They will soar on wings like eagles.”

No truer words could be spoken of Windridge, where a number of Boy Scouts have completed sizable projects to rise to the coveted rank of Eagle Scout through the years. In late August, a soon-to-be Eagle Scout did just that — and now she’s made East Texas history.

Cheyenne Hall, a 13-year-old female member of Longview Scouts BSA Troop 618G and Ore City Scouts BSA Troop 307G, rebuilt outdoor equipment at the therapeutic center for her Eagle Scout project. At a ceremony in January, she was officially honored as the youngest female Eagle Scout in the organization’s East Texas Area Council and the first female Eagle Scout in not one but two East Texas troops. The Eagle Court of Honor ceremony was held Jan. 11 in Gilmer, recognizing Cheyenne’s achievement of attaining scouting’s highest rank.

Cheyenne is among the first generation of female Scouts to earn the Eagle Scout rank, held by astronauts, business leaders, inventors, lawmakers and presidents. The Boy Scouts of America began allowing girls to join its Cub Scout programs in 2018, and they could join the Scouts BSA program beginning in 2019.

“I feel like it’s really awesome that I’m getting my Eagle around the five-year anniversary of girls being allowed in Scouts BSA,” Cheyenne said during a September interview.

In the past year, headlines across the nation have announced that young women increasingly are attaining the Eagle rank, the youngest of whom have been close in age to Cheyenne. Zack Tannery, registration manager for the Tyler-based East Texas Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, confirmed that Cheyenne is the youngest female Scout in the council to attain the rank thus far.

Cheyenne has achieved a number of “firsts” during her time in Scouts BSA.

A native of Vancouver, Washington, she became a Girl Scout in 2017 and joined Cub Scouts in 2018. She was the first girl to earn the rank of Tiger in her district and in the Cascade Pacific Council. In 2019, she was the first girl in her district to join Scouts BSA.

She was also the first girl in her Cub Scout pack to earn a Supernova award, recognizing a Scout’s achievement in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math, better known as STEM.

Cheyenne’s family moved to Diana in 2022, and she and her mother, Melissa Miller, started Troop 307G in Ore City. Cheyenne was the only member, though, so she also joined Troop 618G in Longview. That means she’s be the first female Eagle Scout in both troops at age 13. The average age of an Eagle Scout is 17.

Earning the rank so early in life took dedication, Cheyenne said.

“I decided when I was all the way back in Cub Scouts that I really wanted to be an Eagle Scout at 13 because I heard that it was a lot of hard work, but I really wanted to accomplish it,” she said.

The most widely known task a prospective Eagle Scout must complete is a service project — oftentimes a construction-related endeavor for a nonprofit organization or similar entity. Scouts must find a project and demonstrate leadership and planning throughout it.

Cheyenne has volunteered at Windridge, which has offered therapeutic horse-riding programs for children and adults with disabilities since 1989. By riding horses, people can learn how to balance their bodies, manage anxiety, recognize shapes and more.

Cheyenne learned that the facility’s outdoor sensory arena — a playground-like field of activities designed to improve a person’s sight, touch, hearing and balance — had fallen into disrepair through years of use and exposure to the elements.

“I saw the sensory stations, and I instantly knew that that was the one I wanted to do,” Cheyenne said.

The arena includes multiple activity stations. On a white wooden wall hang small boards covered in rocks, turf and cotton; while riding by on horseback, people can reach out to touch each board, learning to distinguish between textures. Nearby, colorful pool noodles hang on a string between trees; riders can reach up and touch them.

Paintings of animals and cartoon characters placed around the arena help riders learn to follow directions and orient themselves: When they’re told to ride toward the mural of a sheep, for example, they have to guide the horse there, testing the rider’s balance and response to verbal cues.

Back in August, volunteers showed up with tools and food and spent eight hours installing new equipment and paintings in the arena.

“Everybody helped any way that they could,” Cheyenne said. “The second that they were done with something, they asked, ‘Cheyenne, what’s next? What do I have to do next?’ ”

Celia Bower, Windridge’s executive director, said the volunteers were “eager beavers.”

“They just got to work — started with the hardest things first, and Cheyenne had a safety meeting and gave everybody instructions,” Bower said. “Then everybody just split and did their jobs, and it was like, ‘chop, chop.’ And they did great.”

Cheyenne and her helpers, including Scouts and adults, spent 250 hours completing the project. Most of the work was done that August day, but Cheyenne began planning for the project earlier that spring, raising funds for materials and soliciting donations prior to the work day.

When it was all done, a weight seemed to be lifted off her shoulders.

“It felt really accomplishing,” she said. “I put in a lot of work. I put in a lot of time. Everybody that came and helped me put in a lot of time into this. And the feeling of it being done, and me kind of being one step closer to something I dreamed about since I was like 7 years old, was kind of crazy.”

Rebuilding the station is something Windridge staff wouldn’t have been able to do easily without help.

“It was a big need for us,” Bower said.

Completing the project took commitment — the kind Cheyenne exhibits, said Phillip Mirick, Scoutmaster of Troop 618G.

“She is very dedicated to Scouting itself,” Mirick said. “She shows really good Scout spirit. … She’s very helpful. She’s kind to everybody. She’s always excited and happy at the events that we do, always with a smile on her face. She is turning into a wonderful young leader.”

With the accomplishment of Eagle Scout officially achieved, Cheyenne is soaring with the rest of the Eagles — or maybe leading the flock. She’s Troop 618G’s senior patrol leader, and she plans to stay involved with Scouting in the future.

“It’s kind of surreal,” Cheyenne said. “It’s just a dream come true.”