During the day, you can watch Tanya Acker litigate on the television series “Hot Bench” but in her off hours, there’s a chance you may run into her at the Battleship Iowa Museum in the Los Angeles Harbor.
The LA native is a strong supporter of the American history landmark and sits on its Board of Trustees and she took the opportunity to share her passion during an exclusive interview with GoodCelebrity.com.
“This ship embodies a lot of American history and a lot of what’s great about this country. It’s a living reminder of that,” she said.
“It’s also a place where kids can get STEM education. It’s a museum, but it’s still an operating battleship,” Tanya added.
The Iowa is operated by the nonprofit Pacific Battleship Center (PBC) and opened to the public on July 7, 2012 as an interactive naval museum.
According to its website, the waterfront museum is “dedicated to ‘Celebrating the American Spirit’ through the preservation and interpretation. By sharing the accomplishments and sacrifices of American patriots and engaging visitors in unique and exciting ways PBC brings the ship to life by connecting the past with the future.”
“As a feat of engineering, it’s really impressive and amazing so it’s really good for us to be able to share that with local school kids,” said Joshua Stutz, Education Manager at the museum.
Tanya works closely with the Western County Council of the Boy Scouts of America as their legal advisor and program participant. She brings troop members to the Iowa on a regular basis to get them involved in the museum’s enrichment activities and educational opportunities.
During our trip to the museum with Tanya, Andrew Sisolak, Director of Field Service WLACC Boy Scouts, told us, “Tanya’s been a tremendous advocate and supporter of scouting and especially reaching out to underserved communities in our scouting outreach programs.”
The scouts perform citizen training, which prepares them for adult life and how to become a great leader in their communities. Sisolak said that the Iowa is great resource to incorporate into the training because it ties them “back in time with US History, the people who served and provided for the future they now live in, provides continuity and really gives them a chance to experientially learn about their past, which in turn, influences their future.”
Murad Elmassry, a youth member of the Sea Scouts division of WLACC said, “The youth nowadays are indoors and on their phones and it’s good for them to get out and experience the world.”
According to a study from Baylor University, Eagle Scouts are significantly more likely to be involved in extracurricular activities than non-scouts. These activities include camping, hiking, fishing, attending theatre shows, and playing a musical instrument. In addition, more than 58% of scouts get at least 30 minutes of physical activity each day compared to only 18% of non-scouts.
Acker is a huge fan of the scouts and believes that it teaches young men and women common sense, community service, and how to be an overall better person. She believes that everyone would benefit from the lessons taught.
“I love my job, but if there’s one great wish I had it would be that there are fewer people in court. I would actually like to see fewer fights,” Acker said.
Check out our full interview with Acker and the members of the WLACC troop below!
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