Everett Sjolseth | The Renaissance Changemaker

I am a freshman at Jacksonville State University in Alabama. I am looking for my place, my new project.

Details on my past project are below:

Project Update: Building the Watershed Kiosks

Hey everyone — Everett here!

I’m excited to share that my Eagle Scout Project is officially complete! Last year, I led the design and construction of three informational kiosks for the City of Auburn to help educate our community about keeping our watersheds clean.

Each kiosk has educational displays provided by the city, explaining why it’s important not to litter near creeks and storm drains, because everything that goes down there eventually makes its way into the water we drink, swim in, and fish from.

You can find the kiosks at:

1. East University Drive at Summertrees Drive
2. Near the Boy Scout Cabin (Sherwood Dr. and Heard Ave.)
3. Town Creek Park

These spots were chosen because they’re key entry points to Auburn’s watershed, places where small bits of litter can quickly turn into big pollution problems.

How It All Came Together

I started by creating a detailed project plan with help from the City of Auburn. I divided the work into phases and built a pilot kiosk first so that I could test and refine the process before building the other two. It turns out that piloting each phase was one of the best decisions I made; we found ways to be more efficient, and everyone learned together.

I worked with a lot of amazing volunteers from Troop 12, my family, and friends. We had workdays in August & September. There were plenty of donuts, pizza, and gallons of water involved.

I also partnered with a local engineer and fellow Eagle Scout, Dallin Fillmore, to redesign the kiosks for extra strength and a more uniform look. We even changed the door design so that the panels lift up instead of swing open, a small detail that made a big difference in how smoothly everything fit together.

The Challenges (and What I Learned)

Not everything went perfectly, and that’s okay.

• Weather: Alabama heat and thunderstorms made for some unpredictable workdays.
• Injuries: I managed to sprain my ankle near the end of construction, which meant leaning on others (literally and figuratively).
• Being Low Vision: I realized early on that I needed to delegate visual details to others. Setting up a multi-tiered leadership system helped a lot, and I learned how to communicate my needs better.
• Details, Details, Details: The small things take more time and money than you expect! I probably made more trips to the hardware store than I can count.

Through all of it, I learned that leadership isn’t about doing everything yourself; it’s about helping others do their best work and keeping the project moving forward.

Funding and Support

This project wouldn’t have been possible without help from others:

• The City of Auburn
• State Representative Joe Lovvorn
• Family and friends
• Income from my yard work and photography businesses.

Thank you to everyone who volunteered, donated, or showed up to help! You made this possible.

Final Thoughts

Seeing the kiosks finally installed was one of the most rewarding moments of my life. Knowing they’ll be used to teach people about protecting our local environment makes all the long days worth it.

I learned a ton about leadership, communication, and problem-solving –> and maybe most importantly, that every project goes better when there’s pizza and good people involved.

Thanks for following along and supporting me through this journey. I’m proud to say: the project is complete, the kiosks are standing, and the creeks are a little cleaner because of it.

— Everett