Macomb teen becomes an Eagle Scout

MACOMB TOWNSHIP — It can be a challenge moving to a new community, but Ethan Ngwa made the most out of his new home.

Moving from Fraser to Macomb Township in 2017, Ngwa got involved with Boy Scouts Troop 149 at the instance of his mom the next year.

“I didn’t really know anyone, and my mom didn’t want me to feel sad that I left all my friends back there,” Ngwa said. “She immediately put me into Scouts to keep me busy. Originally, I was against it, but it turned out to be something that I really like.”

Ngwa, 18, says early on there was some uncertainty about how long he would stay in Scouting after he cut his leg while away at camp, but he stuck through it. Camping trips and camaraderie kept Ngwa in the troop, but his favorite part of the Scouting experience was the ski trips to Mt. Holly before COVID-19.

“I honestly was scared to go down the mountain skiing, but I actually ended up liking it the most,” Ngwa said. “Although my first-ever time ended up with me crashing into an electrical box. It was wooden though, so at least I didn’t get shocked or anything.”

As Ngwa earned badges and rose through the Scouting ranks, he began approaching the rank of Eagle Scout in 2022. But achieving the highest rank in the Boy Scouts requires creating a service project, and Ngwa set to work on his own: building a memorial garden for the Mount Clemens First Presbyterian Church.

“That was the church I had joined since I came to Macomb (Township),” Ngwa said. “I’ve always been there over the years, always going and always attending youth group meetings there, so I wanted to do something for them because it was really fun to be with them. It was like a second family.”

The space used for the garden was an unutilized spot outside of the church. Ngwa saw an opportunity to make the dull space into something new, spending the next year researching how to make his envisioned garden a reality. After more than a year of planning and several months of gathering resources, Ngwa and volunteers assembled the garden on June 17, 2023. The next few months were spent finalizing the details before Ngwa officially achieved the rank of Eagle Scout at his Board of Review on Aug. 7, 2023. Ngwa received his badge on Oct. 23 and was recognized by the Macomb Township Board of Trustees on Dec. 20, 2023, which declared the occasion “Ethan N. Ngwa Day.”

Ngwa has since moved on to studying accounting and general business at Grand Valley State University, but his time in the Scouts is one he looks back on fondly.

“Scouting is a distinguished group,” Ngwa said. “You’re pretty much a world explorer and leader, so I definitely welcome anyone to join.”