About WA State Youth of the Year
Washington State Youth of the Year is three days filled with events designed to provide educational and inspirational experiences for our finalists!
Program participants arrived in Seattle on Wednesday, March 23rd and gathered at the Future of Flight, a brand new facility operated by one of the event’s sponsors, Boeing. There the participants took part in speech and interview practice, led by HR professionals from Columbia Bank, the presenting sponsor of the event, followed by a special presentation from the Future of Flight team. Club teens returned to the hotel where a limo took them on tour around the neighborhoods of Seattle. They went to Kerry Park to enjoy a frozen yogurt and have the opportunity to take photos.
On Thursday, Club members arrived at Bell Harbor International Event Center for the final round of speeches and interviews in front of a panel of esteemed judges. Representatives from University of Washington, T-Mobile, Washington State University, WSECU, Amerigroup and Columbia Bank helped select the 2022 Washington State Youth of the Year. The winners were announced at the dinner attended by Club leaders, youth mentors and their families as well as Youth of the Year corporate sponsors. Each finalist had the opportunity to share their personal story with the Celebration audience. All youth received a $500 scholarship, and several finalists were recognized with additional merit scholarships.
Friday morning, a fun breakfast get together was held at the Bellevue Hidden Valley Fieldhouse from 9 am to noon. There the 2020, 2021 and current Youth of the Year program participants were able to gather and reconnect.
Here are our 9 finalists in the 2022 WA Youth of the Year cohort!
This year’s finalists represent the following Club organizations:
Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties, Boys & Girls Clubs of King County, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula, Boys & Girls Clubs of Skagit County, Boys & Girls Clubs of Snohomish County, Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound, Boys & Girls Clubs of SW Washington, Boys & Girls Clubs of Thurston County and BGCA-affiliated Youth Center at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Johanna G. from Boys & Girls Clubs of Skagit County is the 2022 Washington State Youth of the Year. Johanna is a member of the Mount Vernon Club of Boys & Girls Clubs of Skagit County. She is a senior at Mount Vernon High School and has been a Club member for 9 years. Joanna is or has been a member of Teen Leadership Group, a Power Hour Volunteer, Junior Staff, Smart Girls, Healthy Habits, and a Summer Staff Member during the Summer of 2021. Joanna’s community service spans from being vice president of Latinos in Action, PR Officer of Keystone Club, and a member of the ASB Senate. She has participated in food drives, donation drives for the Skagit Humane Society, toy drives, and spoke at Boys & Girls Clubs of Skagit County’s Gala and Annual Breakfast fundraisers. Joanna will be the first in her immediate family to attend college. She is undecided as to which college she will attend as she has been accepted into 6 WA state colleges, to include: PLU, SPU, EWU, CWU, WSU, SVC, and Carroll College. She plans to study nursing to become a registered nurse.
Sam C. from Boys & Girls Clubs at Joint Base Lewis-McChord is the 2022 Washington State Military Youth of the Year. Sam is a sophomore at Lakes High School and has been a Club member for 4 years. He is a member of the Hillside Youth Center/Teen Zone. He is president of Torch Club, Keystone, and Fine Arts Club. Fine Arts Club focuses on teaching youth a variety of art mediums. Sam has mentored Torch Club members and middle schoolers in planning and organizing events. He has also participated in clean ups, ran sound board for his school’s Fall Musical, as well as assisted with classes and sorted supplies for his school’s Arts & Crafts Center. Sam plans to attend Oklahoma State University and major in business. His career aspiration is to become an entrepreneur.
Thank you to our sponsors!
We are so grateful to our corporate partners for their flexibility in supporting our Youth of the Year event. Thank you for your dedication to our young people!
With any questions about the 2022 WA State Youth of the Year, please contact Katya Miltimore at 360-550-8511.