DANIEL VAN SANT, applies the Boy Scout motto to “Be Prepared!” Photo: Sarah Andrews
“It’s one of those things I know I’ve done,” said Daniel Van Sant, a junior at Drake.
We’re talking about helping old ladies cross the street—had he ever done it? Being from small-town Malvern, Iowa, Van Sant admits there wasn’t a lot of traffic to navigate people through; nevertheless, he’s sure he’s done the deed.
“The whole time I was probably thinking ‘I’m such a stereotype,’” he said with a smile.
“Do a good turn daily” is the slogan of the Boy Scouts of America, one that Van Sant, through his past and present involvements, has been carrying out for many years.
Being involved in Boy Scouts for 12 years, Van Sant has been through a little bit of everything: earning numerous merit badges, going on adventure-filled camping trips and building camaraderie with the rest of the men in his troop. His experiences have helped shape who he is as a person, as well as his perspective on the world.
“They really enforce this giving back to the community thing that sticks with you,” he said. “Just that sort of civic responsibility really made an impression on me. To some extent, that’s probably why I got interested in political science as a major; I got to see the difference that one could make.”
Now a politics and international relations double-major, Van Sant stays involved on campus with service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega and Mock Trial, though he’s leaving to study abroad in Japan in less than a month.
“APO used to be a scouting fraternity, so for me it was a great way to continue on what I’ve been doing all these years,” he said.
Van Sant has been involved in scouting for the majority of his life. He started off as a Tiger Cub in first grade and worked his way up the many Scout ranks all the way to his senior year in high school, when he earned the highest ranking of Eagle Scout. In order to become an Eagle Scout, Van Sant had to fulfill several thorough requirements prior to turning 18, including earning 20 merit badges (though his sash has over 30).
With every badge comes a memory, with every camping trip comes a story and with every weekly meeting another useful skill is learned. Looking back on his years in scouting, Van Sant misses the camaraderie and camping the most. But whether his recollections are about earning a difficult emergency preparedness badge or going to the Klondike campout and working as a team, his memories of Scouts remain fond. Some of his best are about camping.
“You don’t know what you’re going to find, but it always ends up being the most fun that you’ve ever had,” he said. “You feel like you’re a big explorer—it’s a lot harder to recapture—feeling like you’re just dropped off in the middle of the woods and you’re this team.”
Although he’s now at Drake, Van Sant still finds ways to fit Scouts into his life. Since his younger brother is still involved, Van Sant drives him to his meetings when he’s home “just as an excuse to go and have fun again,” he said. He also was able to teach a public speaking class (for Scouts to earn public speaking merit badges) after his first year at Drake. Through APO he has helped other Scouts via Merit Badge University.
Van Sant’s involvement in the Boy Scout program has had a large impact in his life, and although he’s earned the highest rank he still wants to be involved with the organization in the future.
“I would love to teach merit badges,” he said. “I definitely would like to be involved in Scouting in the future in some capacity.”
And, as it seems, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
“If I had sons I would obviously want them to be in Scouting,” he adds.
A father-son bond sparked Van Sant’s passion for Scouts, when his dad first signed Van Sant up to participate. As the years passed the team would go to meetings and campouts together.
“My dad was involved in Scouts when he was younger, but never got his Eagle; he stopped right before that,” Van Sant said. “He always said it was one of his biggest regrets. He enjoyed it so much.”
Although Van Sant acknowledges that Scouting isn’t something often brought up in conversation “unless there’s a flat tire,” he still has found some other Eagle Scouts here at Drake, and maintains friendships with some of his Scouting friends from back home. Since the topic isn’t always on the minds of college students juggling political science classes and macroeconomics, Van Sant said it might be a year or more before he finds out about the Scouting background of a Drake friend.
“It’s kind of like a bond that is immediately made right there; like, you guys were Eagle Scouts together,” he said. “It’s kind of like a shared experience you have together.”
The Boy Scouts of America celebrated their 100th birthday in early February and Van Sant didn’t miss a beat, using his Facebook page to reach out to other Scouts: “(Daniel Van Sant) wishes the Boy Scouts of America a happy 100th birthday! He is calling on all current and past scouts to help him finish this statement: A Scout is Trustworthy…”
Can you finish the sentence?
I knew Daniel “when”! What a wonderful person and contributing member of society he has become- keep up the good work!