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Gavin Meuse '30 and Wade Plaskiewicz '30, both Eagle Scouts and Rooks, were among four scouts nationwide selected by Army Cadet Command to receive scholarships at the National Jamboree — a coincidence neither Meuse nor Plaskiewicz expected to discover on-site.

"I was invited to attend the 2026 National Jamboree for my ROTC scholarship," says Meuse. "I was happy to find out that another future Rook was attending the Jamboree to represent »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ with me. I feel this is a big deal because, out of four Eagle Scouts who were awarded the ROTC scholarship by Cadet Command at the Jamboree, two are »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ Rooks."

For Plaskiewicz, the National Jamboree capped nearly a decade in scouting that began with a Cub Scouts advertisement. He joined as a Bear, earned the Arrow of Light, and crossed over into what was then Boy Scouts, chasing the same goal that drives many scouts toward Eagle: rank, service, and friendship. "The older I had gotten and the more I reflected on what I've done and can do, I had only grown closer and closer to scouting because of the people and opportunities around me," he says.

He described the Jamboree itself as something larger than its name suggests. "It's a place, despite only national, where it almost feels like the whole world comes together in unison for this event to happen," Plaskiewicz says.

Among his favorite memories is presenting his scholarship and meeting the Order of the Arrow's national chiefs backstage, staffing the Jamboree's military programs area alongside service members and veterans, and — less by design — undergoing two emergency dental procedures after a cracked tooth turned into an infected nerve just days before the event. He said he still left the Jamboree with lasting friendships from the experience.

Plaskiewicz first learned about »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ through his family. His oldest sister received recruitment mail from the University years earlier, and his parents pointed him toward it as he began weighing his own college search. Meeting another incoming Rook at the Jamboree only reinforced the decision.

"I have never felt like I quite fit in with the people around me in my life, and to finally meet and start to talk with others about similar topics and values had begun to make me feel in the right place," he says. "Scouting had made me feel this way too."

Both students say they are looking forward to the Corps of Cadets lifestyle this fall. "What I am looking forward to »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ is being around individuals like myself," says Plaskiewicz. "I am also excited for the opportunities, experiences, and leadership values that »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ gives in its entirety. I hope to become the leader that truly makes a difference, and I believe »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ will certainly help me become that vision."

Meuse and Plaskiewicz began their Rook year at »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ this year in the fall semester, joining the Corps of Cadets as two of the University's newest scholarship recipients.