By Josh McFadden | [email protected]

Three years ago, Draper’s Jared Memmott watched his older brother achieve the rare feat of earning every single Boy Scout merit badge. Inspired by his brother’s success, Jared decided to follow suit.

Mission accomplished.

Now 14, Jared recently earned his last of the 137 merit badges. He also earned his Eagle Scout in the process. The freshman at Corner Canyon High School said it wasn’t easy accomplishing the lofty goal, but it was worth every effort.

“It makes me feel happy because I can feel the reward of working really hard,” Jared said. “I was pretty excited because I’ve been working on it for a long time.”

To be exact, it took more than three and a half years for Jared to earn all the badges. In the summer, when most teenagers are hanging out with friends, relaxing or going on family vacations, Jared was attending pow wows and Scout camps as well as working on merit badges on his own. 

Doing something of this magnitude isn’t possible without a tireless work ethic and determination. Jared’s father, Lester Memmott, said his son possesses these qualities and more. 

“We are proud of Jared,” he said. “It was a lot of work, and he had to spend a lot of his free time working on merit badges over the last few years. Jared is exceptionally disciplined and motivated. He always follows through with what he says he will do. When he started playing the saxophone in fourth grade, he would practice every day. He still does, and we never have to remind him. He applied that same discipline and diligence to earning the merit badges.”

Some merit badges required more willpower than others. For example, earning the climbing merit badge tested Jared’s fortitude more than any of the others. 

“At the time, I had a fear of heights,” he said.

On the other hand, Jared loved working on the scuba merit badge. He also particularly enjoyed ones that got him outdoors and moving.

“Scuba was really fun,” he said. “I got to get certified. I liked archery, kayaking, water sports and snow sports. I like the active ones. I like to be outside.”

During this journey to earn the merit badges, Jared learned much about himself and about not giving up. This past summer, the drive to earn all of the badges had taken a toll, and Jared was growing weary. He only had 20 more to go, so he pushed on and worked on one almost every day until he was finished.

It’s a mindset he thinks any young man trying to earn all the merit badges should adopt.

“You should continue to work on it and keep trying,” Jared said. “You just can’t give up. As long as you keep working on it you’ll finish it.”

Jared’s resolve and devotion helped him achieve this goal, but he couldn’t have done it alone. He had plenty of help along the way.

“My parents helped me find camps and pow wows to get the ones I couldn’t do on my own,” he said. “My Grandpa helped me do some of the harder ones like model design and building. My older brother also helped and encouraged me.”

This experience was more than just accomplishing something great or doing something few people have the chance to do. Jared believes learning new skills and exposing himself to a variety of fields will prepare him for bigger things in life.

“It taught me how to work and introduced to me a lot of experiences I wouldn’t have had if I hadn’t done it,” he said. “I know a little bit about a lot of things.”