Boy Scout Troop 378 of the Greater Los Angeles Area Council is proud to announce its newest Eagle Scouts. The achievement of these five Eagle Scouts was celebrated with an Eagle Court of Honor ceremony on Aug. 1 at The Elks Lodge in Redondo Beach.
Ryan Tsuneishi, 18, is a graduate from South Torrance High School and the son of Chris and Janice Tsuneishi. He earned his Eagle Scout rank on May 27, 2021. Ryan has been involved in scouting since 2012, starting as a Webelos scout in Pack 862 at Faith United Methodist Church, and then joined Troop 378 in 2014.
His past leadership positions include assistant patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader, scribe, historian, patrol leader, and den chief. During his scouting journey, he earned the Arrow of Light, National Outdoor Award-Camping, Cyber Chip, as well as 25 merit badges.
Ryan’s Eagle project consisted of building four mobile elevated planters for the Kei-Ai South Bay Healthcare Center. These planters provide a new opportunity for those confined to their wheelchairs to partake in gardening as a form of “garden therapy.” Over 115 volunteer hours were contributed by more than 18 scouts and adult volunteers to help make this project a success.
His favorite scouting memory is the week-long summer camp at Catalina Island that opened his eyes to the world of scouting. Along the way, he would make new friends, experience nature, and learn the foundational skills required to be a strong leader. During this week-long trip. Ryan experienced earning different merit badges and skills, such as wood carving with his first knife and camping outside in tents at night.
“This introduction into scouting left an indelible impression that I will never forget,” he said.
Outside of scouting, Ryan has played basketball since 1st grade with the F.O.R. Piranhas and then the Hollywood Dodgers Venom team since 4th grade, as well as all levels during high school, where he served as captain his junior and senior year and earned coach’s awards. He also played football for South High School during his freshman and senior year.
He was active in school leadership, serving on Class Council and ASB. Ryan has volunteered for various organizations such as Assistance League, Press Friends, Apollo Athena, South Bay Math Club and his church, Los Angeles Holiness Church.
Ryan was a member of the California Scholarship Federation, collectively volunteered over 650 hours over his four years of high school, earning the Silver and Gold Presidential Service Awards. This last year, he expanded his school’s annual canned food drive to become district-wide, raising over 17,000 cans to be donated to local food banks.
Ryan plans to study business analytics at Syracuse University in the fall.
Michael Uchi, 18, is a recent graduate of South Torrance High School and the son of Stephen and Gale Uchi. He started his scouting career when he joined Boy Scout Troop 378 in 2015 and earned his Eagle Scout rank on May 20, 2021. He has served in several leadership positions in the troop, such as assistant senior patrol leader, troop guide, patrol leader, and assistant patrol leader. Michael has earned 29 merit badges, in addition to Cyber Chip, Firem’n Chit, National Outdoor Award-Camping, and Totin’ Chit.
Michael’s Eagle project was held at the White Point Nature Preserve. He coordinated with the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy to plant and water 100 native plants in order to promote the re-establishment of the natural ecosystem in this coastal region. Due to COVID restrictions, a limited number of family pods were allowed to volunteer in shifts to complete the project. Nevertheless, he was able to successfully plant and water all 100 plants and make the reservation look more plentiful in plants for the enjoyment of the local community.
Michael’s best memories of scouting include the many nights spent camping. His fondest memory was at the Glenn West Fork backpacking outing. “I had so much fun during the challenging five-mile trek, enjoyed being in the company of my fellow scouts, taking in the natural surroundings, and walking around barefoot while my hiking shoes dried near the campfire.”
Outside of scouting, Michael was highly involved in his school. He was the president of Best Buddies and a member of many clubs such as Apollo Athena, Interact, Science, California Scholarship Federation, New Life, and South High American Red Cross. He also volunteered at Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center.
Michael regularly attended Lighthouse Community Church throughout high school and enjoyed the countless Friday nights he spent at youth group.
Daniel Kim, 18, is a recent graduate from Palos Verdes Peninsula High School. He is the son of Gene and Youjeong Kim. He earned his Eagle Scout rank on March 4, 2021. Daniel joined Troop 378 in 2015 as a 6th grader and has grown more confident and mature from his time with the troop. Daniel’s roles and accomplishments include webmaster (two terms), librarian, historian, and Firem’n Chit, Totin’ Chip, Cyber Chip, National Outdoor Award-Camping Award, and 24 merit badges.
Daniel’s Eagle project benefited his church, Torrance First Presbyterian Church, in Torrance. The project included building and painting four picnic tables, which are used for the Children’s Ministry for them to do arts and crafts. Despite the challenges of COVID-19, he was able to complete his project following COVID-19 guidelines.
His favorite scouting memory was a week-long summer camp at Camp Fiesta Island. Daniel got to experience various water activities, and especially enjoyed snorkeling in the ocean. “A memorable event was when all the troops gathered together one night and saw the fireworks under the stars in their kayaks.”
Outside of scouting, he is a member of the California Scholarship Federation, National Honors Society, and Korean National Honors Society. He has won first and second place in the Los Angeles Country Fair in 2014, and 2015 in an art competition. Daniel enjoys playing the piano, and played a recital at a church for a fundraiser.
Daniel will be attending Chapman University in the fall, majoring in history.
Jason Kurashige, 19, graduated from West Torrance High School and is the son of Greg and Ada Kurashige. Jason earned his Eagle Scout rank on Jan. 14, 2021. He has been involved in scouting since 2011, starting as a Webelos scout in Pack 862, then joining Troop 378 in 2013. His past leadership positions include senior patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader, quartermaster, librarian, and troop guide. During his scouting journey, he earned 33 merit badges, Firem’n Chit, Totin’ Chit, Cyber Chip, Mowgli/Red Rope Challenge, National Outdoor Award-Camping, Block E, Silver E, and Arrow of Light.
Jason’s Eagle project was at Evangelical Formosan Church of South Bay in Torrance. It included remodeling one of their older rooms, giving it a new paint job, building three cubical shelving units, and constructing a large conference table with seating for 8-10 people. The room is used for both meetings and as a studying/recreational area for their youth members. Due to the COVID restrictions, a limited workforce of only 20 volunteers was used, requiring a lot of hard work with the many tasks involved, but he was able to complete the project despite these challenges.
His favorite memory of the troop was the first day on the trails at the Philmont Scout Ranch. “After gearing up for the long adventure ahead of us, we were all excited to experience our high adventure journey. Being out in the wilderness, experiencing fun and cool activities, such as log climbing and operating a rail handcar, really emphasized the fact that we were truly at a high adventure camp ready to take on the unexplored in front of us. It was overall a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me that we had to leave, to return home, way too soon.”
Outside of scouting, Jason has participated in marching band, volunteering, high school cross country and volleyball, and club volleyball. He continues to play volleyball for fun at open gyms. Recently, he has taken interest in rock climbing as a new hobby.
He will be a sophomore at California State Polytechnic University Pomona this fall, majoring in kinesiology with an interest in becoming a physical therapist.
Holden Sanderson, 18, recently graduated from Palos Verdes Peninsula High School. He is the son of Brian and Thea Sanderson. Holden earned his Eagle Scout rank on May 6, 2021. His scouting adventure began in 2009 as a Cub Scout in Pack 970 at Vista Grande Elementary School and he bridged over to Boy Scout Troop 378 in 2014. He served in many leadership positions within the troop, such as assistant senior patrol leader, patrol leader, assistant patrol leader, troop guide, and historian. In his scouting journey, Holden earned 28 merit badges as well as his Arrow of Light, Cyber Chip, and National Outdoor Award-Camping.
Holden’s Eagle project consisted of the construction and installation of six tables used for nursing native plants at the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy. The goal was to replace six older tables at the conservancy with newer and stronger tables built to last. The tables were constructed off-site at the Elks Lodge and then installed at the Land Conservancy on a separate day. The new tables allowed the Land Conservancy to monitor and nurture native plants in a safe area before restoring the reserves. The project required multiple family cohorts due to COVID-19, totaling over 130 service hours.
Holden’s favorite memory of his time in the troop was his second summer camp, Camp Fiesta Island. It was right on the beach in the San Diego area and was based around water activities and sports. It was still early in his scouting adventure and allowed him to find new interests and friends. While there he was able to complete his most memorable merit badge, Fishing. “In order to complete my Fishing merit badge we took a half-day deep-sea fishing trip where I had the opportunity to catch two sea bass. We did not gut and filet them ourselves, but did cook and eat them! This was the trip that wrapped me completely into scouting and helped keep my interest for years to come.”
In his free time, Holden enjoyed playing both football and baseball. Throughout the years he has played for numerous travel baseball teams, as well as at Peninsula until his junior year. Holden began football for the first time his freshman year and played all four years of high school, three at the varsity level. As a senior, he earned 1st Team Bay League Offense and was awarded the Lineman of the Year Award by his team.
In addition to scouting, Holden was a member of Los Hermanos and Palos Verdes Assembly, both local service groups. He accumulated over 400 service hours during his high school years, earning both the Bronze and Silver Presidential Service Awards. In the fall, Holden plans to study business at Purdue University.