.Scouting a Path at Purdue
After years of dedicated community service, concentrated team bonding and high-level skill-building in high school, many members of Scouting Purdue thought starting college meant they were done with scouting for good.
“When I was in high school, scouting was a big part of my life,” says Janith D’Alwis, a junior who serves as the vice president of communications for Scouting Purdue. “It was my main extracurricular. Every weekend we'd go camping, we'd help with the local council, volunteering for churches.”
Most members of Scouting Purdue had similar experiences to D’Alwis. Coming out of such a scouting-dominated schedule, many were looking for ways to keep their love for scouting alive.
“I did have a bit of a gap year where I ended up falling out of the program,” says Joshua Zapata, a senior who serves as the president of Scouting Purdue. “I aged out and thought that was it when I got to college.”
For D’Alwis and Zapata, Scouting Purdue became the unique place for them to continue their passion beyond their high school years.
For the past two years, the organization has been home to scouting alumni at Purdue, hosting monthly meetings, volunteer events and networking opportunities throughout the academic year. According to Zapata, the main goal of Scouting Purdue is to keep scouting alumni engaged in the program locally.
“Overall, it's really just about reconnecting those people that might have lost their connection to the program since coming to college and bringing them back to scouting,” Zapata said.
One of Scouting Purdue’s biggest events is the Sagamore Council’s University of Scouting event. The event takes place on Purdue’s campus during the winter, giving Scouting Purdue a chance to step up as leaders among younger Scouts.
“It’s a pretty big event and as far as we know, the largest of its kind in the nation,” Zapata said. “For us, the goal is to help with running merit badge classes or help run logistics.”
University of Scouting is a merit badge event - an opportunity for scouts to earn badges in just one day, whereas it might usually take several days or weeks. According to Zapata, the event offers a variety of badges, from aviation to nuclear science.
Later in the spring semester, Scouting Purdue also participates in the Sagamore Council’s Scouting for Eggs fundraiser, an adult Easter egg hunt open to the public that raises money for local youth scouting programs. In 2025, the event raised more than $20,000.
D’Alwis thought back on their experience volunteering at Scouting for Eggs, saying the event was a good opportunity to interact as a group. They spent time building a giant Easter basket out of pool noodles, counting hundreds of eggs and dropping them along the trail on a golf cart.
“That was a pretty enjoyable one,” D’Alwis said. “It always turns out pretty good, too.”
This summer, Scouting Purdue worked with writer Aaron Derr for a feature in Scouting Magazine. Zapata said this national recognition was an opportunity with “a lot of potential for growth of Scouting Purdue and inspiration to other organizations like us.”
“Scouting America has been seeking initiatives to try and expand the scouting alumni programs into higher education,” Zapata said. “The long-term vision with the feature is that we can be a blueprint for other colleges that seek to give back to their own local scouting programs.”
While other schools across the country host similar alumni groups, Scouting Purdue aims to work with people who have moved away from home to a location where it might not be possible to join traditional scouting groups.
This year, the organization’s goal is to increase the number of events hosted, including group outings, speaker panels and more volunteer events in the community.
“We did a couple of camping trips last year,” Zapata said. “The hope, though, is to get more of those fun events in as well as host a set of professional development and networking events with our extensive alumni base.”
According to Zapata, Scouting Purdue is a place where everyone is welcome – even if they weren’t a part of scouting growing up.
“We're not just for undergraduates,” Zapata said. “Anyone is welcome on the campus to join us – and you don't have to be active or have a past in the program either. If you've never been a part of scouting, we'll still welcome you into our organization and get you involved that way.”
Through a variety of community engagement and volunteer activities, monthly meetings and bonding events, Scouting Purdue finds ways to keep scouting alumni connected as they age out of the scouting program.
“These student leaders live out the values of scouting with fun, creativity and commitment,” wrote Michael Witt, an associate professor for Purdue Libraries and the faculty advisor for Scouting Purdue, in the 2024-25 annual report. “If you’re interested in joining or supporting the club, I’d encourage you to reach out and connect with us.”
Connect with Scouting Purdue today on BoilerLink, Instagram, or their website.