LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, PA — The APO Eagle Scout Alumni Association, a national affiliate of the National Eagle Scout Association (NESA), has officially announced the recipient of its prestigious Leaders of Service Scholarship. Sponsoring awards ranging from $2,000 to $5,000 for college-bound scouts, the program recognizes exceptional Eagle Scouts by translating the cardinal principles of Alpha Phi Omega—Leadership, Friendship, and Service—into profound community impact.
This year’s recipient, Lauren P. Tyree of Lincoln University, Pennsylvania, from Chester County Council, embodies these values at a scale that selection committee members call “generational.”
Bridging Scouting and Higher Education
Founded by Scouts for Scouts, Alpha Phi Omega carries the commitment of the Scouting movement into the collegiate arena. The Leaders of Service Scholarship seeks to bridge the high school and college experiences, rewarding fewer than four percent of Scouts who attain the rank of Eagle and subsequently go “above and beyond” to strengthen the fabric of their communities.
Lauren Tyree, a graduate of Saint Mark’s High School (Class of 2026) who is now heading to the Ivy League with plans to attend Yale or Harvard, fits this mission perfectly. Achieving her Eagle Scout rank on November 22, 2022, through the Chester County Council, Lauren has spent her high school career establishing sustainable systems that ensure the future of Scouting and service remain open to all.
An Unparalleled Record of Systemic Impact
When her unit’s charter partner ceased chartering local Scout units—leaving an 80-year legacy and hundreds of local youth vulnerable to displacement—a then 14-year-old Lauren refused to stand by. She collaborated with regional and national stakeholders to found GLDN (Growth & Leadership Development Network). Today, this nonprofit acts as a permanent chartering partner for multiple units, independently fundraising to cover insurance and operational costs so individual families escape the financial burden. Under GLDN, she proactively expanded inclusive Scouting by launching a new Venture Crew and two new girls’ troops, including a bilingual troop focused on underserved communities.
Her passion for service expanded globally through her second major initiative, SERV (Students Engaged in Relief Volunteering). Originally designed to combat post-COVID isolation among her peers, SERV evolved under Lauren’s guidance into a multi-state volunteer network. To date, SERV has mobilized over 300 volunteers, raised more than $500,000, and directly served over 10,000 individuals through domestic projects and international relief trips to the Dominican Republic.
A master of digital storytelling, Lauren also utilized her filmmaking skills to design a “Friends of Scouting” media package that anchored a $750,000 council-wide fundraising campaign, alongside producing cinematic work for her diocese that fueled a $1 million campaign. Her extraordinary achievements have previously earned her national recognition as the National Eagle Scout of the Year (awarded by both the American Legion and the Sons of the American Revolution) and the National Catholic Educational Association’s highest honor, the Youth Virtues, Vision & Valor Award.
Uplifting Others Along the Way
What stood out most to the scholarship committee, however, was not just the magnitude of Lauren’s résumé, but her core philosophy of leadership—rooted deeply in the APO principle of friendship.
In her personal leadership statement, Lauren reflected on an early experience of feeling overwhelmed at Scout camp, recalling how her Scoutmaster didn’t solve her problems for her, but simply helped her take the next small step. “Leadership, to me, is an act of compounding,” Lauren wrote. “When people feel seen, valued, and needed, they step forward… My role is not to stand at the center, but to create the conditions where others can discover their own sense of purpose.”
This sentiment is echoed strongly by those who have watched her grow. In a letter supporting her application, Mr. Thomas S. Fertal, President of Holy Cross High School and former President of Saint Mark’s High School, wrote:
“In nearly thirty years of educational leadership, I have encountered thousands of remarkable young men and women; Lauren stands without equal among them. It is a rare privilege—perhaps a once-in-a-generation privilege—to recommend a young leader whose very presence elevates every community she joins.”
By empowering younger Scouts to step into executive roles and establishing a leadership pipeline before she departs for college, Lauren ensures that her impact will outlast her academic tenure.
The APO Eagle Scout Alumni Association is proud to invest in Lauren P. Tyree’s educational journey as she continues to cultivate leadership, foster lifelong friendships, and champion the spirit of service on the global stage.