Lopez represents BGCFDL at State YOY Competition
Stephany Lopez was selected as our Club’s 2023-2024 Youth of the Year (YOY) at our Celebrate Great Futures annual awards event last May. Stephany earned this title through her participation in Club programs, leadership, and devotion to what it means to be an outstanding Boys & Girls Club member. This was only the beginning of Stephany’s growth as a Youth of the Year. Over the past few months, she has been involved in several opportunities to promote the Club. These opportunities included helping out with special events, and even delivering a fantastic speech to Club supporters about who she is and why the Boys & Girls Club is important to her.
While juggling the responsibilities of representing the Boys & Girls Club, completing high school coursework, and participating in extracurricular activities, Stephany also spent a lot of time preparing for the Wisconsin State Youth of the Year competition which took place during the Youth of the Year Conference and Advocacy Days in Madison from March 10-12. This competition consists of 16 youth total from Boys & Girls Clubs throughout the state, one of whom is ultimately selected to represent Wisconsin at the regional level for the Youth of the Year competition.
Stephany worked tirelessly and successfully completed an application, resume, cover letter, and three essays. Team building exercises and networking were a part of her first day in Madison, followed by the competition day where she delivered her speech detailing her experiences as a member of our Boys & Girls Club and community while also interviewing for a chance to become the Wisconsin State Youth of the Year. We want to congratulate Loren from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee and wish her the very best as she represents our state in the regional competition.
On Stephany’s final day in Madison, she had a once in a lifetime opportunity to speak in the State Senate Chamber in the Capitol building, and also met with Senator Feyen to advocate for Boys & Girls Clubs. Stephany stated, “Youth of the Year has been very fun over the past year. I got to write about my Club experience and share it with hundreds of people. Competing in Madison was such a great experience, along with meeting new people and hearing their stories, sharing my speech inside the Capitol, and exploring Madison with some Club staff! I hope that future Youth of the Year get to experience how fun it is and make some new friends and great memories to share when they’re older.”
We are so proud of the work Stephany put into this competition and how well she has represented our Boys & Girls Club and community! To learn more about Stephany as our Youth of the Year, check out the announcement article from earlier last year. For more information about our Club programs or how to sign up, visit our Become a Member page!