Last Thursday evening, I had the honor of serving as a judge in the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale's annual Youth of the Year competition. Having served as a judge for the first time last year, I had a pretty good idea of what I was in for and what to expect from the evening. I was not disappointed.
For almost 70 years, Youth of the Year has been Boys & Girls Clubs of America's premier recognition program, celebrating the extraordinary achievements of Club members. To be named Youth of the Year at the local, state, regional, or national level, members must exemplify the values of leadership and service, academic excellence, and healthy lifestyles. Candidates must also demonstrate and articulate the positive impact that the Boys and Girls Club have on young people's lives.
Our five-person judging panel included Shelly Mowrey, director of the Fountain Hills Coalition, and we were tasked with selecting the Youth of the Year for the Paiute and the Piper branches. We reviewed contestants' application packets in advance which included three essays and letters of recommendation. On Thursday evening, the candidates gave speeches to the entire panel, interviewed with each of us individually, and then took questions from us in a panel format. For the candidates, this was a grueling evening.
I cannot overstate how impressed I was with each candidate. All six had unique stories to tell about how the Club has impacted their lives, their visions for America's youth, and their personal brands. All had faced adversity and prevailed. All have found success in school and in life. All articulated their dreams for the future and ways in which they can make the world a better place.
Congratulations to McKee Branch Finalists!
Meanwhile, another panel of judges was working to select our local Mary Ellen & Robert McKee Branch's Youth of the Year. The finalists were three FHHS students: Winnie Chen, Xavier Lopez, and Jasmyne Simon. The judges charged with picking the winner experienced the same things as my judging panel. After reviewing the three truly outstanding candidates, Xavier Lopez was selected as Youth of the Year.
According to Xavier, "The process forces you to get to know yourself and to define who you are. You grow as a person and discover what you stand for. You talk about your experiences, vision for America's youth, and your personal brand. It shows the reality of the world." In describing his personal brand, Xavier said, "My personal brand is about love and being a Christian, focusing not just on receiving love but giving love and being selfless."
There was at least one other important thing that all of the candidates for Youth of the Year conveyed to judging panels across the state and country:
All made the judges realize that there are a whole bunch of really great kids out there and to think otherwise is to be woefully uninformed.
Regards,
