TAUNTON, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — A local Taunton 13-year-old has her eyes on the prizes—both of them.
Ariana Batista is among the first in a generation of teenagers that have the opportunity to be both Boy and Girl Scouts, after the Scouts-BSA (formerly the Boy Scouts) decided to allow girls to join in 2017.
She said she's after both organizations' highest awards: for the Girl Scouts, that's the Gold Award, and for the Scouts-BSA, it's becoming an Eagle Scout.
"I joined because I knew I would make a lot of new friends, I love the outdoors, and both programs would keep me busy," she said.
Ariana's father John Batista was also in the Boy Scouts when he was younger, and said his daughter has done a great job of balancing her duties for both scout organizations and her schoolwork.
"It was just a big deal for her to actually take on both, and I'm proud of her to do it," he said.
WBZ's Kim Tunnicliffe (@KimWBZ) has more:
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(Photo: John Batista)