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Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade recently announced it has named Ariana Luis, 17, its 2023 Youth of the Year. A panel of community partners served as the judges to select this year’s Youth of the Year.
To achieve the title of Youth of the Year on any level, club members must embody the values of leadership and service, academic excellence and a healthy lifestyle. They should exemplify the critical impact that Boys & Girls Clubs have on the lives of young people. The scoring includes candidate essays, an interview, a speech, letters of recommendation and overall application quality.
Luis, a junior at Miami Killian Senior High with a 3.8 GPA, has been a member of the Kendall Club since 2020. Since joining Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade, she has become an active member in school activities including the Art Honor Society, the Cambridge Program and the swim team. At the club, she is the current president of the Kendall Club’s Keystone Chapter, regularly participates in park cleanups hosted by the club and mentors junior youth members.
Luis will be graduating in June 2024. She hopes to attend Columbia University or Florida International University and study international business. Her dream career is to be an ambassador for the United States and work on the international business side of diplomacy.
During her time at the club, Luis has matured by placing her focus on her education, being a mentor to others and giving back to the community. Luis acknowledges the club’s impact on her success.
“We are incredibly proud of Ariana for being named the 2023 Youth of the Year,” said Alex Rodriguez-Roig, president of Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade. “She has proven to be the model ambassador for Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade as she embodies the clubs’ values including leadership, service and academic success. All of us at Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade congratulate her for her hard work and commitment to the club and our community.”
Luis and 29 other teens from Florida Boys & Girls Clubs will be competing for the 2023 Florida Youth of the Year title. The winner of the state title will receive a $2,500 scholarship, laptop and printer.
Every year since 1955, youth from various Boys & Girls Clubs across Florida have competed for the opportunity to represent Florida as the Florida Youth of the Year. The winner of the state title then competes in the regional competition. Five regional winners then move on, and one is named the Boys & Girls Clubs of America National Youth of the Year.
The National Youth of the Year serves as both an exemplary ambassador for Boys & Girls Clubs youth and as a strong voice for all of the nation’s young people. He/she receives a new car courtesy of Toyota, as well as scholarships and cash totaling $60,000. The National Youth of the Year, along with the other four regional runners-up, then travel to Washington, DC and speak to members of Congress and meet the President of the United States.
To achieve the title of Youth of the Year on any level, club members must embody the values of leadership and service, academic excellence and a healthy lifestyle. They should exemplify the critical impact that Boys & Girls Clubs have on the lives of young people. The scoring includes candidate essays, an interview, a speech, letters of recommendation and overall application quality.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade has been serving youth in the community since 1946. What once was a single building and site for boys has grown to five clubs serving thousands of boys and girls year-round, providing programs in the areas of character and leadership development, educational enhancement, career preparation, health and life skills, cultural arts and sports, fitness and recreation. Club staffing, initiatives, and programs are designed to inspire and enable area youth and provide them with the resources to succeed and share in the American Dream. For more information, call 305-446-9910 or visit www.bgcmia.org.
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