A high school student from Victor has achieved a rare milestone.
Sabrina Bhalla, 18, has earned all 139 merit badges offered by Scouting America. Only one in a thousand Eagle Scouts can say the same.
Bhalla is also the first female Eagle Scout in the Finger Lakes region to do so.
"Which is really cool, because now I can say that I have basic proficiency in 139 different things," she said.
Bhalla is a founding member of Troop 6060 in Victor, which began in 2019 shortly after Scouting America opened its doors to girls. At the age of 12, she was inspired by her older brother's experience in the program.
Over the past six years, including the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bhalla remained active with her troop. She hiked over 200 miles, went on 99 camp outings, and logged over 100 service hours.
She said scouting has prepared her for adulthood in many ways, from leadership skills to money management.
"It's exposed me to such a wide variety of disciplines," she added, "from plumbing to basket weaving. It's just been a wild ride and I've enjoyed all of it."
And she's learned more about herself. When she was younger, Bhalla said she didn't particularly enjoy being in the water.
"I thought that would extend to boating, but it turns out I actually love boating, and that's just something I never would have figured out," Bhalla said.
Bhalla plans to attend Cornell University after graduating from Victor High School in June. She will pursue a pre-med path of study.
