TORRANCE — Boy Scout Troop 719, sponsored by Faith United Methodist Church in Torrance, recently announced its four newest Eagle Scouts:
• Bryan Akio Ishigo was born on Jan. 12, 2000 at Little Company of Mary Hospital in Torrance to parents Alan and Nancy Ishigo. He is the youngest of three children with older siblings Ashley (21) and Alyssa (19). Bryan attended Towers Elementary School and Bert Lynn Middle School, and is currently a junior at West High School. In 2005, Bryan’s father passed away. He is missed by his family every day.
Outside of school, Bryan plays basketball for South Bay F.O.R. Triple Threat. In his spare time, Bryan enjoys writing, watching movies, creating and editing short films, and hanging out with his friends.
Bryan began his scouting career at age 6, when he joined Cub Scout Pack 862, sponsored by Faith United Methodist Church. He went on to earn the Arrow of Light award, and bridged from Cub Scout Pack 862 to Boy Scout Troop 719 when he was 11. Bryan has been a part of the Saltwada Inouysters, Koopa Troopa, Most Wanted and Scorching Tigers patrols. He eventually led his own patrol, The Rice Villagers, in 2015.
Over the years, he held positions such as den chief, assistant patrol leader, patrol leader, and troop guide, and is currently the senior patrol leader. Through this experience, Bryan learned the importance of teamwork and what it takes to be a good leader, and met new people who would eventually become some of his closest friends.
For his Eagle Project, Bryan chose the Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute as his recipient, as a thank you for hosting many programs he’s been involved with over the years. On the morning of Sept. 10, 2016, Bryan arrived at the JCI with more than 80 family members, fellow troop members and troop alumni.
Under the guidance of advisor Chip Hino and his construction advisor, Kurt Kuniyoshi, Bryan constructed a vegetable garden with two flower beds, and a pair of pallets with rain gutters attached to them that would hold herbs. He also designed and built the JCI a brand-new podium.
Bryan is very proud of what was accomplished during his project and remains thankful to all those who helped him accomplish his goal. His project taught him what can be accomplished throughout many months of preparation and through the support of the people around him.
Scouting has played a major part in shaping Bryan’s life, and has given him confidence and skills that will continue to help him in the future. Being a part of Troop 719 has taught him important lessons about leadership, patience and responsibility.
Earning the rank of Eagle Scout has been one of Bryan’s biggest achievements, and he remains eternally grateful to his fellow troop members, previous patrol leaders, friends, alumni, Eagle Board of Review Panel and family – as none of this would have been possible without their constant support.
• Joshua Minoru Matsuda was born on Aug. 25, 2000, at Little Company of Mary Hospital in Torrance. He is the son of Daniel and Linda Matsuda. Joshua enjoys playing ragtime and boogie-woogie music on the piano, classic cars and music, playing the sax, trumpet and bugle, running cross country, hiking and soaking in the tall peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, observing and being in nature, solving puzzles such as his Rubik’s Cube, and hanging out with family and friends.
Joshua attended Lincoln Elementary School and Casimir Middle School in Torrance. He is currently a sophomore at North High School, where he is involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Club, Japanese Club, and the Cross Country and Track Team. His faith and relationship with God have also been an integral part of his life. He has grown up at Gardena Valley Baptist Church and been a part of the Children’s and Youth Ministry.
In the sixth grade, Joshua began his scouting career in Troop 719. For the past four years, he gained valuable knowledge, skills, and experience from the troop that have impacted his character and challenged him to grow in leadership and teamwork. Over the years, he has held positions such as librarian, assistant patrol leader, and patrol leader, and is currently a troop guide.
Joshua chose Gardena Valley Baptist Church to complete his Eagle Service Project because he saw a need for new carnival games for the church’s annual Harvest Festival. Previously, many of the existing games were very old and had been used for many years, so Joshua wanted to make new and exciting games for the families that had come to the festival in previous years.
On Aug. 20, 2016, along with Eagle advisor Carol Hashiro, construction advisor Mike Hashiro, his fellow scouts, troop families, alumni, and friends, Joshua constructed six new carnival games: two Hi-Strikers, one bowling game with two lanes, two golf games, and a slingshot game. Both Joshua and the church were proud of the outcome of his project.
Scouting has played a major role in Joshua’s life and given him essential life skills for his future. Not only has it taught Joshua many handy skills such as tying knots and lashings, setting up camp, and first-aid skills, but has also helped him to grow as a leader, learning to speak up when necessary and guide his fellow scouts. As Joshua continues to grow to be a man, he hopes to continue to be a positive role model for others and give back to Troop 719.
He would like to thank his previous patrol leaders, fellow scouts, troop parents and scoutmasters, alumni, and family for their generous support throughout the long road to becoming an Eagle Scout.
• Jonah Ng was born on May 10, 2001 in Torrance to parents Calvin and Gina Ng. His younger sister, Kristin, goes to Bert Lynn Middle School. Jonah likes to listen to music, play soccer, run, and hang out with friends. Raised in Torrance, Jonah attended Discoveryland Preschool, Towers Elementary School, and Bert Lynn Middle School. He is currently a sophomore at West High School and a member of California Scholastic Federation, Key Club, Taiwanese Chinese American Association, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and the cross country, soccer, and track teams.
Jonah began his scouting career at the age of 6 when he joined Cub Scout Pack 862 of Faith United Methodist Church. He achieved the Arrow of Light award and at the age of 11, he joined Boy Scout Troop 719 in Torrance. For the past five years of scouting, Jonah has gained valuable knowledge about character and leadership.
During his first year in the Tanaka Flocka Flames Patrol, Jonah learned scout skills such as first aid. As a member of the Mizu Patrol, he spent his second year hiking and learning new scout skills like knots and profiling for hikes. While in the Scorching Tigers Patrol, Jonah enjoyed going to summer camps to earn merit badges. In his fourth year, Jonah was part of the Rice Villagers patrol, where he hiked the 1000 Island Lake Long Term. Currently, Jonah is the patrol leader for the Striking Vipers, who received the “Awesome Patrol” award twice. Just this past summer, he co-led a patrol and hiked and peaked Mt Whitney.
For his Eagle project, Jonah chose to assist the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) at Victor Elementary School. The project consisted of cleaning a storage container used by volunteers of AYSO and building six flag boxes, three sandbag boxes, and three metal racks to help organize the container. With the guidance of his Eagle advisor Linda Matsuda and his construction advisor Jerry Tondo, the project was a huge success. The project allowed Jonah to work on his communication and leadership skills while benefiting the community.
By being an Eagle Scout from Troop 719, Jonah has gained many life skills, including leadership, patience, and responsibility, all of which he will use in the future. Jonah has also learned important values from his Eagle Scout journey. He would like to thank the 719 scouts, Scoutmaster Corps, parents, alumni and his family and friends for supporting him throughout that journey.
• Sean Yonemori was born July 31, 2000 in Torrance to parents Dean and Carlene Yonemori. He is one of two children, along with his younger sister Lauren. Sean enjoys playing basketball, fishing, visiting family and being with friends. Sean attended Washington Elementary School and Adams Middle School in Redondo Beach. He is currently a Junior at Redondo Union High School, where he is on the Varsity Track and Field Team.
Outside of school and scouting, Sean plays basketball with the FOR Mariners — a team he has been with for over 10 years — and volunteer coaches youth in the summer with Double Dribble. He grew up attending Faith United Methodist Church and continues to participate in Youth Fellowship, help in Sunday School classes, and serve as a youth summer camp counselor. He enjoys helping others, and has taken multiple trips to Tijuana, in coordination with his church and the Corazon Organization, to build homes for the local families.
Sean’s scouting career started at the age of 9 when he joined Cub Scout Pack 862 of FUMC. He earned his Arrow of Light at the age of 10 before bridging to Boy Scout Troop 719 in Torrance. For the past six years, he has grown and matured through various hikes, activities, and leadership roles. He has held various positions in the troop, including den chief, librarian, historian, assistant patrol leader, patrol leader, and—currently — troop guide. As patrol leader this past year he was proud of the growth he saw in the scouts he led and appreciated the leadership skills he gained from his experiences.
Sean chose FUMC for his Eagle project because this was the church family he grew up with and he wanted to give back. On June 25, 2016 — with the help of his Eagle advisor Daniel Matsuda and his construction advisor Jerry Tondo — Sean led over 100 supportive troop members, alumni, family and friends to complete his project. Sean was able to build two ramps that lead into the Chen Annex; amass a wood pile for future use; and clear a pathway and install pavers along the Chen Annex. His project allowed him to further refine his leadership and management skills while providing him the opportunity to help his church family.
Being a Boy Scout has been a significant part of Sean’s life. He has learned life skills such as patience, perseverance, and responsibility. As a result of this journey, which included disappointments as well as triumphs, he is able to encourage and lead others with compassion and motivate them through their own challenges.
Sean is forever grateful for achieving the rank of Eagle, and appreciative of his past patrol leaders, scoutmasters, alumni, friends — and especially his family — who have encouraged and supported him to complete his journey to Eagle.