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50 Badges in 50 States: Taylor Bell aims big for Eagle Scout honor
Nashville Tennessean
Taylor Bell, 16, of Murfreesboro, one of the nation's first female Eagle Scouts who recently finished her newest mission to get 50 merit badges in 50 states. Bell sits next to many patches that she collected on her 50 state journey. Photo taken on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021.
HELEN COMER/The Daily News Journal![Eagle Scout Taylor Bell, right, with Tom Morrole, earns her aviation merit badge at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City March 25, 2019](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.usatoday.com/gcdn/presto/2021/08/06/PNAS/bfec6b6f-4418-4156-8169-f3b452547687-Taylor_Bell_New_York.jpg?width=495&height=660&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Eagle Scout Taylor Bell, right, with Tom Morrole, earns her aviation merit badge at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City March 25, 2019
Submitted![At her Eagle Scout Court of Honor, Taylor Bell, left, presents her brother, Thomas, with his Eagle Scout medal because he never got the chance to have his own ceremony.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.usatoday.com/gcdn/presto/2021/08/06/PNAS/b207300e-269d-48d0-b5fe-f713144f07a7-Taylor_Bell_and_her_brother.jpg?width=440&height=660&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
At her Eagle Scout Court of Honor, Taylor Bell, left, presents her brother, Thomas, with his Eagle Scout medal because he never got the chance to have his own ceremony.
Submitted![Taylor Bell of Murfreesboro earns her Scouting plumbing merit badge Jan. 11, 2020, in Paducah, Kentucky at a "merit badge university" there](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.usatoday.com/gcdn/presto/2021/08/06/PNAS/97e0f5e3-742f-43eb-936a-cacde836fff0-Taylor_Bell_Kentucky.jpg?width=495&height=660&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Taylor Bell of Murfreesboro earns her Scouting plumbing merit badge Jan. 11, 2020, in Paducah, Kentucky at a "merit badge university" there
Submitted![Taylor Bell earned her fishing merit badge July 1, 2020, with fisherman Jake Splawn in Valley Springs Lakes, Texas](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.usatoday.com/gcdn/presto/2021/08/06/PNAS/55ba83bb-a396-4b0d-afd9-6522cf8c42e7-Taylor_Bell_Texas.jpg?width=660&height=495&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Taylor Bell earned her fishing merit badge July 1, 2020, with fisherman Jake Splawn in Valley Springs Lakes, Texas
Submitted![Taylor Bell, right, with stamp collector Bob Wanamaker in Milton, Mass., where she earned her stamp collector merit badge in memory of Taylor's grandmother, who worked for the U.S. Post Office for 38 years. Taylor used many of her grandmother's stamps to earn this merit badge.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.usatoday.com/gcdn/presto/2021/08/06/PNAS/118f37c8-ea3f-42d8-a18d-8fe47028ca90-Taylor_Bell_Massachusetts.jpg?width=495&height=660&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Taylor Bell, right, with stamp collector Bob Wanamaker in Milton, Mass., where she earned her stamp collector merit badge in memory of Taylor's grandmother, who worked for the U.S. Post Office for 38 years. Taylor used many of her grandmother's stamps to earn this merit badge.
Submitted![Taylor Bell, left, and her best friend, Hannah Hakanson, biked 50 miles in a state park in St. Charles, Missouri, May 19, 2020, to earn the cycling merit badge. One of Taylor's tires blew out during the ride, and she had to repair it to complete the ride in the allotted time](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.usatoday.com/gcdn/presto/2021/08/06/PNAS/80bba62a-fe0a-4a8f-9dc1-44894ab4e878-Taylor_Bell_Missouri.jpg?width=660&height=495&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Taylor Bell, left, and her best friend, Hannah Hakanson, biked 50 miles in a state park in St. Charles, Missouri, May 19, 2020, to earn the cycling merit badge. One of Taylor's tires blew out during the ride, and she had to repair it to complete the ride in the allotted time
Submitted![Taylor Bell earned the last of her 50 merit badges in 50 states -- for golf -- on July 26 this year (2021) in Kapolei, Hawaii. She is pictured here with merit badge counselor Ciri Cuenco](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.usatoday.com/gcdn/presto/2021/08/06/PNAS/8c3737a1-dbf1-4969-a7b1-f0521a4fa511-Taylor_Bell_Hawaii.jpg?width=660&height=440&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Taylor Bell earned the last of her 50 merit badges in 50 states -- for golf -- on July 26 this year (2021) in Kapolei, Hawaii. She is pictured here with merit badge counselor Ciri Cuenco
Submitted![Taylor Bell, third from the left, joins female Boy Scouts of America Troop 3030 at Camp Geronimo in Payson, Ariz., July 2, 2020, where she earned her basketry merit badge](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.usatoday.com/gcdn/presto/2021/08/06/PNAS/d6c66b15-a88a-489b-8bd9-4e733533391d-Taylor_Bell_Arizona.jpg?width=660&height=495&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Taylor Bell, third from the left, joins female Boy Scouts of America Troop 3030 at Camp Geronimo in Payson, Ariz., July 2, 2020, where she earned her basketry merit badge
Submitted![Murfreesboro Eagle Scout Taylor Bell earned her surveying merit badge at Rhode Island College in Providence Jan. 4, 2020](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.usatoday.com/gcdn/presto/2021/08/06/PNAS/045409cb-46dc-43dd-87bb-466d0b3a1749-Taylor_Bell_Rhode_Island.jpg?width=495&height=660&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Murfreesboro Eagle Scout Taylor Bell earned her surveying merit badge at Rhode Island College in Providence Jan. 4, 2020
Submitted![Eagle Scout Taylor Bell of Murfreesboro earns her mining in society merit badge Feb. 2, 2019, in Springhill Township, West Virginia. "I did not enjoy that," Taylor said. "I will not be a miner growing up."](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.usatoday.com/gcdn/presto/2021/08/06/PNAS/d5331156-3e06-406e-8348-e29c97affdcb-Taylor_Bell_West_Virginia.jpg?width=660&height=495&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Eagle Scout Taylor Bell of Murfreesboro earns her mining in society merit badge Feb. 2, 2019, in Springhill Township, West Virginia. "I did not enjoy that," Taylor said. "I will not be a miner growing up."
Submitted![Taylor Bell poses for a picture at the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, Wisc., where she earned her Scouting engineering merit badge Oct. 8, 2020](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.usatoday.com/gcdn/presto/2021/08/06/PNAS/d7f50d4c-e740-42dc-960a-613370062b1d-Taylor_wisconsin_motorcycles.jpg?width=617&height=660&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Taylor Bell poses for a picture at the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, Wisc., where she earned her Scouting engineering merit badge Oct. 8, 2020
Submitted![Eagle Scout Taylor Bell of Murfreesboro visits Clemson University in South Carolina Oct. 5, 2019, where she earned her scouting heritage merit badge.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.usatoday.com/gcdn/presto/2021/08/06/PNAS/a19d067e-0692-448a-9e20-34cf655e76ff-Taylor_Bell_South_Carolina.jpg?width=495&height=660&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Eagle Scout Taylor Bell of Murfreesboro visits Clemson University in South Carolina Oct. 5, 2019, where she earned her scouting heritage merit badge.
Submitted![Taylor Bell, right, visits with fellow Scout Wyatt Niemann, Oct. 6, 2020, in Watertown, South Dakota, to earn her disability awareness merit badge. Wyatt's mom, Jodi Priest, is on the left. Wyatt lived with juvenile Huntingdon disease and shared about that with Taylor during their visit. Wyatt died unexpectedly four weeks later. "I was so glad I got to meet him," Taylor said.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.usatoday.com/gcdn/presto/2021/08/06/PNAS/5f8a2eec-c25f-475a-9d8b-045daf29a9e0-Taylor_Bell_South_Dakota.jpg?width=660&height=495&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Taylor Bell, right, visits with fellow Scout Wyatt Niemann, Oct. 6, 2020, in Watertown, South Dakota, to earn her disability awareness merit badge. Wyatt's mom, Jodi Priest, is on the left. Wyatt lived with juvenile Huntingdon disease and shared about that with Taylor during their visit. Wyatt died unexpectedly four weeks later. "I was so glad I got to meet him," Taylor said.
SubmittedMindi and Marty Bell stand next to their daughter Taylor Bell, 16, of Murfreesboro, who was one of the nation's first female Eagle Scout, who recently finished her mission to get 50 merit badges in 50 states. Photo taken on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021.
HELEN COMER/The Daily News JournalTaylor Bell, 16, of Murfreesboro, received a variety of patches from fellow Scouts during her mission to get 50 merit badges in 50 states. Photo taken on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021.
HELEN COMER/The Daily News JournalTaylor Bell, 16, of Murfreesboro, is one of the nation's first female Eagle Scouts and has recently finished her mission to get 50 merit badges in 50 states. Photo taken on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021.
HELEN COMER/The Daily News JournalTaylor Bell, 16, of Murfreesboro, one of the nation's first female Eagle Scout is filmed as she recounts her adventures during her recent missions to get 50 merit badges in 50 states. Photo taken on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021.
HELEN COMER/The Daily News JournalTaylor Bell, 16, of Murfreesboro, one of the nation's first female Eagle Scout is filmed as she recounts her adventures during her recent missions to get 50 merit badges in 50 states. Photo taken on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021.
HELEN COMER/The Daily News JournalTaylor Bell, 16, of Murfreesboro, one of the nation's first female Eagle Scout is all smiles as she recounts her adventures during her recently mission to get 50 merit badges in 50 states. Photo taken on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021.
HELEN COMER/The Daily News JournalTaylor Bell, 16, of Murfreesboro, one of nation's first female Eagle Scouts shows off many of her merit badges that she received during her mission to get 50 merit badges in 50 states. Photo taken on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021.
HELEN COMER/The Daily News JournalTaylor Bell, 16, of Murfreesboro, one of the nation's first female Eagle Scout shows off many of her merit badges that she received during her mission to get 50 merit badges in 50 states. Photo taken on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021.
HELEN COMER/The Daily News JournalTaylor Bell, 16, of Murfreesboro, one of the nation's first female Eagle Scouts shows off many of her merit badges that she received during her mission to get 50 merit badges in 50 states. Photo taken on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021.
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