Boy Scout Troop 378 will recognize four scouts — Aidan Ota, Enzo Ishihara, Nicholas Lew, and Joshua Choi — at an Eagle Court of Honor on May 22 at St. John Fisher Church in Rancho Palos Verdes.
Joshua Choi, 18, is a senior at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School and will be graduating on June 9. He started his scouting journey when he joined Troop 378 in 5th grade. Joshua has been a part of Peninsula National Honor Society, Science Research, PLUS (Peer Leaders Uniting Students). He also has dedicated many hours volunteering through SNHS (Science National Honor Society), MAT (Mu Alpha Theta), and KNHS (Korean National Honor Society). Joshua has earned the Presidential Service Award twice.
After junior year, Joshua was selected to participate in the Boeing Summer Internship program. Outside of school, he has been working as a group instructor at Mathnasium teaching his favorite subject, mathematics, to students in the community. Joshua absolutely enjoyed his time at Peninsula and looks forward to studying electrical and computer engineering in the fall.
Merit badges earned: 28
Special recognition: Firem’n Chit, Totin’ Chit, Cyber Chip, Presidential Volunteer Service Award (2019, 2020), National Outdoor Award-Camping
Troop leadership positions: Troop guide, quartermaster, assistant senior patrol leader
Favorite memory from scouting: “My favorite scouting event was the Lost Valley
Summer Camp in 2015. At Lost Valley, we were allowed to ride our bikes around the
campground and to get to our merit badge class. I remember the trading post and having the freedom to buy all the snacks and drinks I wanted throughout the weeklong camp. I got to know more about my fellow scouts as I was new to the troop during this campout.”
Eagle Project: “My Eagle Project was building two benches and two bulletin boards for my high school, Palos Verdes Peninsula High School. The project was dedicated to Kelly Johnson Fieldhouse area, where students can use the benches as they wait to get picked up from school. The bulletin boards served as a place where students could advertise school events. I would like to thank all my scout and adult volunteers from Troop 378, my family, Mrs. Sunada, and Palos Verdes Peninsula High School. This great project would not have been achieved without them.”
Enzo Ishihara, 18, is a senior at South High School in Torrance. He has been involved in scouting since 2010 as a Tiger Cub in Pack 718 at Riviera Elementary. He bridged to Boy Scout Troop 378 in 2015 as a fifth-grader.
Outside of scouting, Enzo has been active in SHS marching band, jazz band, and concert band for the past four years, playing trumpet. He also is involved in the Bread of Life Youth Group. His other interests include camping, hiking, cooking, listening to music, and online gaming. Enzo plans to study computer science in the fall.
Merit badges earned: 29
Special recognition: Arrow of Light, Block E, National Outdoor Award-Camping, Cyber Chip, Firem’n Chit, Totin’ Chip
Troop leadership positions: Senior patrol leader, roundtable rep, bugler
Nicholas Lew, 18, will be graduating from Palos Verdes Peninsula High School in Rancho Palos Verdes this June. For the past four years, he has partaken in his school’s lacrosse team, even acting as junior varsity captain his sophomore year. Besides athletics, Nicholas is also part of Peninsula’s National Honor Society, National Chinese Honor Society, and Link Crew program, where he acts as commissioner of internal affairs.
Other community service groups Nicholas is active in include Los Hermanos and Palos Verdes Assembly, where he’s earned the Gold Presidential Service Award twice and the bronze one. He regularly works at Kumon Learning Center in Rolling Hills and plans to study biology this fall.
Merit badges earned: 26
Special recognition: Arrow of Light, Recruiter Strip, BSA Stand Up Paddle Boarding Award
Troop leadership positions: Chaplain’s aide, patrol leader, troop guide, assistant senior patrol leader
Favorite merit badge earned: “The First Aid Merit Badge is not only my favorite badge but the one which has made the longest-lasting impact. The badge was one of my first experiences with the medical field and medicine, sparking my interest in anatomy and physiology. Learning about the different burns, tourniquets, CPR, and the Heimlich absolutely blew my 11-year-old mind, sparking an interest which has driven me to where I am today and will surely drive me during my time in college.”
Favorite memory of the troop: “Despite numerous adventures on countless outings, the 2017 Firestone Spring Camporee is forever cemented as my favorite memory with the troop! The main event was a competition, pitting troops against one another to test their scouting knowledge in hopes to win the coveted Golden Shovel. At the end of the day, I, along with my cousin, Joshua Yu, and several other scouts, were able to bring victory for Troop 378, leaving the camp with the Golden Shovel and a golden badge which I continue to wear to this day.”
Eagle Project: “My Eagle Project took place on Aug. 15, 2021 for Bread of Life’s Christian Children’s Center. The center was in desperate need of additional storage sheds, the current shed being too small and rusted, a clear safety hazard. With the help of the troop, the damaged shed was safely removed, being replaced with a new 4’x7’ Craftsman shed and a matching base. In addition, a new 7’x7’ Craftsman shed and respective base were added to the center, increasing storage space by a grand total of 42 square feet.”
Aidan Tomoichi Ota, 18, is a senior attending South Torrance High School (SHS). His scouting journey began with Pack 718 and continues as an active member in Troop 378 since 2015. Besides scouting, He enjoys playing sports, on land or in the water. His love of water and swimming allowed him to letter in SHS Swim and qualify for CIF. He also enjoyed playing SHS Water Polo, where he was awarded Offensive Player of the Year, and his last love on land was Club/Asian basketball.
He is an active member of the California Scholarship Federation, SHS SkillsUSA (president, secretary, founder), SHS Cyber Patriots (founder and manager of Teacher Committee, secretary) and a nationally top-ranked participant in Cyber Security Tournaments.
This past summer he was selected to represent SHS as an engineer intern at The Boeing Aerospace Company. He worked on multiple projects, published papers, and enjoyed every minute. In his spare time, he earned certification in Career Technical Education for Cybersecurity (CTE) and Systems Tool Kit (STK).
He enjoys disassembling electronic devices to see how they work, working on engineering designs, or playing computer games with friends and family.
Merit badges earned: 27
Special recognition: Arrow of Light, Totin Chip, Firem’n Chit, Cyber Chip, National Outdoor Camping Award, Stand Up Paddle Boarding Award, one of the top popcorn sales for the troop and Los Angeles Council
Troop leadership positions: Senior patrol leader, webmaster (three terms), patrol leader (three terms), assistant patrol leader
Favorite merit badge earned: “My favorite merit badge earned was robotics. I have always been curious, and my mind is always on the move. I had a fun time playing with the electronic pieces and inner workings of the parts. I was fascinated to see all the parts come together and work as one in the end.”
Favorite memories of the troop: “There were so many, but my two favorites: Camp Fiesta Island and leading the Cabrillo Beach camp outing. At Fiesta Island it was the time I had to upright my sailboat (part of merit badge) or the night kayak. At Cabrillo, I was the MC for six other troops, which included a flag retirement and campfire with chocolate s’mores for all. Eagle Project: “My Eagle Project was completed at Sowing Seeds of Change, an educational and vocational center in the city of Long Beach. It consisted of consulting, designing, constructing, material gathering for five large wood tree planters (3’x3’x3’). All the materials were purchased with the funds saved from BSA troop popcorn sale proceeds. I am grateful for everyone who contributed their time and energy to make my Eagle Project