3 minute read
glo Girl: Camiah Anderson
from Glo - April 2020
glo GIRL
CAMIAH ANDERSON
Age 12
By Shelley Galbreath | Photo by Mollie Shutt
Meet Camiah Anderson—a Lane Middle School sixth grader and a Boys and Girls Club member who was recently named Smart Girl of the Year.
The Smart Girls program focuses on health, fitness, prevention/ education and self-esteem enhancement, offering the tools to help girls reach their full potential as productive, caring and responsible women.
Boys and Girls Club Membership Director, Jasmine Jennings, said Anderson has grown tremendously since she first started six years ago and really exemplifies what it means to be a member of the Boys and Girls Club.
“Between our three sites, we currently have 525 girls who are enrolled and participate in the Smart Girls program,” Jennings said, “so for Camiah to be one of five members nominated for the Smart Girl of the Year award really says a lot about her character and leadership.”
Anderson said behaving well was difficult at first because she had her own way of doing things, and when people made her angry, she acted out to get attention. Oftentimes she found herself getting write-ups and suspensions because of those bad behaviors. Anderson decided she didn’t want to be like that anymore, so she tried change.
“That decision she made to change is something I really admire about her,” Jennings said. ”She comes in every day with a positive attitude and is always willing to help her staff and peers. She has come a long way.”
Changing wasn’t an easy task, but Anderson was determined to change in a positive way and successfully eliminated prior bad behaviors. “My past was a little rough, but I wanted to be a Smart Girl so I could show other girls you don’t have to let your past define your future,” Anderson said.
While Anderson is thankful to everyone at the Club, she is especially thankful for lead staff member Chris Wallace who identified her as a candidate for the award.
“When I saw Camiah going in the wrong direction, I started having conversations with her about how she could lead in a different way and she was eager to learn,” Wallace said. “Camiah is a natural leader. She is also very caring, determined and outgoing. She just needed some guidance when she first started attending the Club.”
Winning the Smart Girls award means everything to Anderson. “Every time I think about winning, it brings tears to my eyes,” she said. “This award is going to help shape my future.”
Anderson has plans for her future that include a short-term goal of finishing sixth grade with a 4.05 GPA – beating last year’s 4.0 GPA. Long term she would like to be a veterinarian with plans to attend North Carolina University for her bachelor and master’s degrees.
“I want to be a vet because animals are all some people have and knowing I could save someone’s best friend warms my heart,” she said. a
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