Eighteen-year-old Lukas Arocho of McDonough isn’t the kind of person to let his perceived limitations stand in his way.

  “People with special needs can do anything that other people can,” he said.

  Such perseverance has Lukas poised to achieve a longtime goal with the Boy Scouts of America. Arocho, a 2019 graduate of Union Grove High School, recently completed the final project in his quest to become an Eagle Scout.

  Lukas’ mother, Kelly Arocho, said the new rank represents months of hard work and dedication by her son.

  “The project involved building bluebird houses with the Cub Scouts,” said Kelly Arocho. “Some of the them were at his elementary school, Unity Grove Elementary School. The rest of them went to a camp that’s very dear to us, Camp Twin Lakes, in Rutledge, Ga. It’s a camp for children with special needs.”

  Lukas Arocho was seven years old when he started with the Boy Scouts. His mom said Lukas wanted to be a part of the group because he believed it would help with his socialization skills.

  “Lukas has autism, cerebral palsy, speech delay and a seizure disorder,” said Kelly Arocho. “He’s been approved for an extension [for the project], but he’s only got a few more requirements to fulfill everything for the paperwork.”

  Lukas began researching for the Eagle Scout project in March. In the process, he secured the assistance of younger children from Cub Scout Pack No. 66 at St. James the Apostle Catholic Church in McDonough. The Cub Scouts helped with building the bluebird houses as part of his Eagle Scout requirements, said Kelly Arocho.

  “I think it also helped him to be able to overcome his shyness,” said Kelly Arocho. “He was able to ask for donations to help with the project. He’s able to be a spokesperson for himself and for other special-needs people.”

  Lukas completed the project on September 28, and installed the bluebird houses the same day. His mother commended him for working hard to reach his goal.

  “I am very, very impressed, just like when he graduated from Union Grove High School in 2019,” said Kelly Arocho. “He has a gold seal on his fine-arts diploma. He was the first special-needs student to graduate with that gold seal on his diploma.”

  Lukas earned the gold seal after participating in chorus through all four years of high school.

  Kelly Arocho said her son’s teachers at Union Grove were instrumental in helping him to complete the required essays to solidify his Eagle Scout rank. She said she and her husband, Ariel, are proud of Lukas for exceeding expectations.

  As for Lukas, he too is proud of himself for reaching his goal.

  “I’m happy that I overcame my fears and completed the project,” he said.