Peyton Mahan, a sophomore electrical engineering major at Oklahoma Christian University received a Congressional Award Gold Medal over the summer for his excellence in dedication to service work and personal development.
Mahan was the only Oklahoman to receive the award this year.
Rep. Brian Steil of Wisconsin opened the awards ceremony by explaining what the medal is for:
“The Congressional Award honors those who strive to be part of something bigger than themselves,” Steil said. “With this award, Congress recognizes young Americans who devote their free time to an important activity. It could be taking on a public service project, pursuing a hobby or new skill, starting a physical fitness program, or going on an outdoor expedition. … I congratulate each of the awards’ winners.”
Mahan won the medal last year, but obtained the physical copy in June 2025. He had already completed most of his prerequisite service hours before he decided to seek the gold medal.
“I technically won it last year, but I got the physical copy this year around June,” Mahan said. “I basically already had it. I had 500 hours already in service work and all I had to do then was mention 200 hours of service work, I got my leadership, and then I just needed to get 50 more hours of personal development and that was it.”
A lengthy submission procedure delayed Mahan from receiving the award, which he said he had qualified for years earlier.
“It’s a submittable and it’s a very long documentation process,” Mahan said. “It would have maybe taken me — if I’d actually taken a good minute and focused on it — it would have taken me about 10 hours to do.”
Mahan drew a distinction between conservation work and community service, both of which he has completed approximately 250 hours in.
“There’s two separate things,” Mahan said. “There’s conservation work, and then community service which is just picking up trash and doing little service things like helping someone with the door or building a ramp or a gaga ball pit for a church or community. Basically anything that will improve the lives of the community. And then conservation work is anything that improves the environment or conserves the environment. I want to say, both of those combined, I did an even 250 hours each.”
A member of the Scouts since 2016, Mahan said his troop members partially shaped his experience with service. Though he did not enjoy his first service project, the older Scouts set an example for him that he now follows.
“My first ever service project, I was super super annoyed with my mom,” Mahan said. “I was a Cub Scout at the time, so I really did not like doing service work, AKA picking up trash, which was the only thing our Cub Scout troop did. Any time we did it, I would always get hot, I would always get sweaty. As soon as I entered scouts, the older boys would always make it funner. It changed me to enjoy the service instead of complaining about how it’s affecting me. I would enjoy the outcome of a service project more if I just thought about what I could accomplish during this time instead of just using it for myself.”
Mahan’s favorite Bible verse shares his troop number: 226. Proverbs 22:6 says:
“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
He applies this Scripture in setting an example for the younger Scouts:
“A young mind is so easily misled and a young mind is so easily led in the right direction,” Mahan said. “If I lead my fellow younger scouts in the right direction towards Christ, then I have at least tried to follow the right path.”
Through hundreds of hours of work, Mahan met the rigorous standards required to become a recipient of the Congressional Award Gold Medal this year, demonstrating his continued commitment to serve others and improve himself.
0
0
Be First to Comment