Armour Square and Englewood Students Named 2023 Youth of the Year

CNW Staff Report

Samaya A., 16, a junior at Air Force Academy High School in Armour Square and a member of its after-school Union League Boys & Girls Club, has been named the Union League Boys & Girls Clubs 2023 Youth of the Year, recognizing her academic performance and service to Club, community, and family. Samaya A. will proudly represent the 104-year-old Union League Boys & Girls Clubs organization at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Illinois statewide competition to be held in April. In addition, Lyric P., 12, a sixth grader at the Nicholson STEM Academy in Englewood, was named Union League Boys & Girls Clubs 2023 Junior Youth of the Year, acknowledging her accomplishments at Nicholson’s after-school club. The announcements were made at an inspiring and celebratory Youth of the Year Awards event, co-chaired by Marsha Hoover & Matt Sheahin, and attended by hundreds of Union League Boys & Girls Clubs supporters at the Union League Club in downtown Chicago. Samaya, a junior at the Air Force Academy High School, already holds the rank of Cadet Colonel, a leadership rank usually held by seniors. Academically, she is an exceptional student, receiving Honor Roll accolades annually, and is a proud member of the Student Voice Committee and Gender and Sexuality Alliance. Samaya is proud of, and excited about, Union League Boys & Girls Clubs’ newly formed partnership with Air Force Academy and can’t wait to witness the after-school Club’s continued progress. Her post-secondary plans include majoring in Biology with a focus on environmental science.

“I understand that my experiences at Union League Boys & Girls Clubs, my community, and the world I live in have shaped my perspective, but I know I am the definer of my destiny,” she has said.

Added emcee Brandon Molina, himself the 2013 Union League Boys & Girls Clubs Youth of the Year, “The Union League Boys & Girls Clubs has always been there for me. The Youth of the Year program goes further than just a competition. Over the years, it helped me develop connections, network, and build long-lasting relationships. We have this saying that once a Club kid, always a Club kid, and the Union League Boys & Girls Clubs created not just a safe place for me, but it created a family.”

Among the 15,000 members of Union League Boys & Girls Clubs, seven were selected to participate in its 2023 Youth of the Year program; in addition to Samaya, other Club members include Jacob B. (Junior, Barreto Club); Danika M. (Junior, Clemente Club); Anthony M. (Senior, Club One); Zaida R. (Senior, Club Two); Jamal G. (Senior, Englewood STEM Club); and Jose L. (Senior, Garcia Club). In addition, seven Union League Boys & Girls Clubs members, ages 10-14, were selected for the 2023 Junior Youth of the Year competition. Besides Lyric, also participating were Quenniyah M. (Barreto); Valeria H. (Club One); Jada A. (Club Two); Daniell J. (Hammond Club); Jordan R. (Stagg Club); and Daniel S. (Zizumbo Charter School Club). The Junior Youth of the Year program gives younger Club members a chance to demonstrate their leadership ability and potential, and to build the strong foundation needed to succeed in the future.

The national Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Youth of the Year recognition is the highest honor a Boys & Girls Club member can achieve. It celebrates youth who have overcome enormous odds and demonstrated exceptional character and accomplishments. Beginning at the local Club level (such as Union League Boys & Girls Clubs) and continuing through state and regional competitions, Boys & Girls Club members throughout the country compete for Youth of the Year honors. The five regional winners will meet in the nation’s capital in September where they will compete for the National Youth of the Year title.

All 2023 Union League Boys & Girls Clubs Youth of the Year and Jr. Youth of the Year participants received technology gifts, including laptops, Chrome books, and tablets, in recognition of their achievements.