At 17, Matthew Stepps has a lot of goals and a bright future ahead. He achieved one goal Feb. 13 when he received his Eagle Scout during a Court of Honor ceremony at the First Presbyterian Church.

The first Eagle Scout of Troop 392, Stepps said it’s been a great experience to help run the troop since it converted from Troop 50 and to continue to set an example for the younger scouts.

“It’s a big honor,” he said.

Scouting has taught the Garner Magnet High School student many of the lessons during the last 11 years that he wouldn’t learn in the classroom, like camping, hiking and shotgun shooting.

For his Eagle Scout project last year, Stepps tried to help other learn from extra-curricular activities; he remade a training video for the Capital Area Teen Court. Stepps has been a member of the Capital Area Teen Court for four years and noticed the training video was outdated.

“I just tried my best to improve it,” he said.

Stepps said he hopes to continue to learn about law at Campbell University, specifically medical malpractice law. Being a part of the Capital Area Teen Court gave Stepps the opportunity to practice what a career in law would be like.

The scouting officials of Troop 392 couldn’t be prouder of his accomplishments already.

“Matthew, you did it. You all did it. The Troop did it,” Executive Scout Officer Rev. Jim Ferry said. “We are so pleased.”

Stepps said he couldn’t have gone through the process of scouting without the support of his family. His father, Donnie, has done so much to help him, including going to Boy Scout meetings and staying over night with him on campouts. His mother, Karen, has offered support in many ways as well.

Stepps believes that this is just one of his life accomplishments and hopes to carry the knowledge with him as he works on future goals.

“Keep scouting with you always,” Ferry said