2021 Arizona Youth of the Year

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PRESENTED BY

Table of Contents Welcome

The 2021 Candidates

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Anycia A. Vakentae C.

Caitlyn E. Isabella “Bella” T. Luisa T. Serenity Dee Ann Gordon O.

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The 2021 Youth of the Year Judges

The Arizona Alliance

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Our 2021 Youth of the Year candidates have been working extremely hard to get to this point of their journey and we want to congratulate them on their success and accomplishments thus far. Being able to represent their Clubs at the state level is a huge achievement and honor.

To family, friends, Club staff, volunteers, and Club alumni, we want to thank you all for supporting these incredible teens throughout the journey they’ve embarked on as a Youth of the Year, and we hope you enjoy this time celebrating your candidates.

The Youth of the Year program teaches our teens the skills needed to be successful, helps them to build good character, and shows them how to turn dreams into realities. Through the program, Boys & Girls Clubs teens are able to advocate for themselves and their passions. There is truly no higher honor as a Boys & Girls Club member than to be a Youth of the Year.

Throughout this past year, the Youth of the Year candidates have persevered through the hardships they faced as students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

From adapting to virtual classes to cancelling and starting traditions, these teens are prime examples that GREAT FUTURES start here – in the Clubs.

Congratulations to our 2021 Arizona Youth of the Year candidates – we can’t wait to see what each of you do and accomplish next!

2021 Arizona Youth of the Year Annual Recognition

The 2021 Youth of the Year Candidates Anycia A.

Vakentae C.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley

Anycia is 18 years old and a senior at Tucson International Academy. She has been a member of the Steve Daru Clubhouse for 7 years. During her time as a member, she has enjoyed volunteering this past year the most.

She has accumulated over 500 hours of community service in the last year. While helping out in her community, she has maintained her position on the Honor Roll with a high GPA. Her desire to help the youth achieve their utmost potential has led her to become the Class President and be an inspiration to every member in which she interacts.

After graduating, she plans to attend Hampshire College to study neuroscience and one day become a Neurologist.

For Anycia, the best part of the Club is the endless positivity and encouragement that is always being shared.

Although Vakentae has only been a Club member for 2 years, he has quickly become a positive leader and influencer among the other Club teens. He is President of the Keystone Club and a member of the Black Student Union at the Metropolitan Arts Institute. He has also participated in AZYouthforce, where he interned at Talking Stick Resort Arena and was later hired as a Guest Relations Ambassador.

He plans to attend Arizona State University and will work towards a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Education and Psychology to become an English teacher and author. He hopes to use this career to assist young adults deal with often-overlooked mental health issues by teaching them better comprehension skills and how to express themselves in written form.

2021 Arizona Youth of the Year Annual Recognition

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The 2021 Youth of the Year Candidates Caitlyn E.

Isabella “Bella” T.

Boys & Girls Clubs of The Colorado River

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale

Caitlyn is sixteen years old, she is a Junior at Mohave Accelerated Learning Center in Bullhead City, Arizona. She has been a member of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Colorado River for 4 years. Caitlyn has grown up in the Boys & Girls Clubs. She started attending at the age of 3 in the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Salem.

Along with immersing herself in various school clubs and activities in her free time; Caitlyn volunteers at our 5 Clubs where she runs our homework help program. Caitlyn is the Sergeant At Arms, she is in the National Honors Society, she is also in the Book Club and Game club at her high school.

Caitlyn currently attends Mohave Community College where she has earned and continues to earn a 4.0 GPA. She is currently on track to graduate with an Associates Degree in Liberal Arts by the time she graduates high school.

After graduating with her associates degree, Caitlyn plans to attend a university where she will major in Criminal Justice.

Isabella is 18 years old and a Senior at Pinnacle High School.

She has been a Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale member for 9 years, spending her youth years at the Thunderbirds Branch then moving to the Vestar Branch to attend the teen center.

Bella credits Club programs like SMART Girls for helping her become confident and resilient, skills she now shares with younger members. With the support of her Club, she learned to deal with anxiety and self-doubt while developing her passion for helping others.

Bella plans to attend the University of Arizona after high school with the goal of becoming a pediatric physician assistant.

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2021 Arizona Youth of the Year Annual Recognition

Luisa T. Boys & Girls Club of Sierra Vista

Serenity Dee Ann Gordon O. Davis Monthan Air Force Base Youth Programs

Luisa has been a Club member with Boys & Girls Club of Sierra Vista for 7 years. Luisa has been deeply involved with the Club since she started attending. Luisa has participated in various car washes, and volunteered at different Club events such as Family Nights, and #WeOwnFridays teen nights. She enjoys Keystone, Digital Arts, and the Junior Staff Programs.

After high school Luisa plans to attend Northern Arizona University and pursue a career in Culinary Arts. The Club has given her a second home and a second place to go. The Club has also taught her to be comfortable in her own skin.

The organization has given her the tools to build great character and leadership.

Serenity has been a Club member for 11 years now and has become a huge influence on her community since joining. The Boys & Girls Clubs have shaped her into a young adult that can be professional with the fundamentals it takes to succeed.

Being a member of the Clubs has also helped Serenity discover her love for giving back to others.

She is a member of Torch Club, Keystone, Smart Girls, and Teen Council. She has taken on responsibility in the Club as a Teen Ambassador, Teen Mentor, Power Hour Tutor, Junior Staff, and in various community service projects.

Some of her favorite activities in the Club include Teen Triple Play Tournaments, Teen Late Nights, Keystone, and volunteer events with Torch Club.

After graduating, Serenity plans on attending Grand Canyon University to study Zoology with a minor in Fine Arts.

2021 Arizona Youth of the Year Annual Recognition

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2020 Arizona Youth of the Year

Judges

Carly Mertz

Matt Gress

2020 Arizona Youth of the Year

Director at the Arizona Governor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting

Lea Márquez Peterson, MBA Chairwoman, Arizona Corporation Commission and President, Márquez Peterson Group, LLC

Brenda Puga Carly Mertz attended Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale, Thunderbirds Branch. She was a member for nearly 13 years and has been a Staff for three years. The club was always her safe space where she felt that she didn’t have to worry about the outside pressures, her and many other teens faced on a daily basis. The Youth of the Year Program was her way of giving back, showing her club and Boys & Girls Clubs everywhere how grateful she was for everything they had done.

She is currently attending Barrett, the Honors College, at Arizona State University with a degree in Marketing.

She hopes to one day be an Event Planner with a focus in nonprofits and philanthropy work.

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Community Relations Coordinator Fiesta Bowl Charities

Jacob Lounsbury Director of Global Partnerships, SciTech Institute

Dr. Jeremy Babendure Executive Director, SciTech Institute Associate Research Professor, ASU School for the Future of Innovation in Society Senior Fellow, Institute for Learning Innovation

2021 Arizona Youth of the Year Annual Recognition

Boys & Girls Clubs have proudly served Arizona youth with quality programs and services for more than 70 years. The Arizona Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs was formed in 2000 to increase the club’s visibility in communities and to advocate for Arizona’s most vulnerable youth.

ALLIANCE BOARD MEMBERS

Nicole Kennedy

BOARD CHAIR

Matthew Lemberg

Cheyenne Walsh Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley TREASURE

Tom Robertson Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tucson SECRETARY

James Bryce Boys & Girls Clubs of Gila Valley

ALLIANCE MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS Autumn Boyle-Robinson Boys & Girls Clubs of the Colorado River

Karen Cabanillas Boys & Girls Clubs of the Aha Macav

Mark Cobb Luke AFB Youth Program

Annette Flores Boys & Girls Clubs of Bisbee

Jay Hamwright Boys & Girls Clubs of Sierra Vista

Ivan Gilreath

Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Arizona Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sun Corridor

Sarah Meacham Boys & Girls Clubs of Round Valley

Marcia Mintz Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley

Mick Ruiz Boys & Girls Clubs of the Gila Valley

Karin Akins Malbrough Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson

Tara Wagner Davis-Monthan AFB Youth Program

Sundeigh Walker Boys & Girls Clubs of White Mountain Apache

Vicki Barden Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Cruz County

Pat Carson MCAS Yuma

Melissa Anderson Yuma Proving Grounds CYSS

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale

DIRECTOR OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

Mark Cox

Josh Stine

Boys & Girls Clubs of Flagstaff

2021 Arizona Youth of the Year Annual Recognition

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley

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