Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula Names Anderson Youth of the Year

From the first high-fives of the evening to the last hugs good-bye at the end of the 2024 Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula Youth of the Year Ceremony, the event inspired the hundreds of BGCP supporters in attendance on February 15 at the East Palo Alto Clubhouse.

The event kicked off in traditional BGCP style with guests entering the venue greeted by rows of BGCP youth high-fiving them. Time for mixing and mingling gave attendees the chance to swap stories about the value they see in BGCP. Once seated, guests enjoyed the talents of BGCP youth who played welcoming instrumental music and performed a Hip Hop Dance routine.

Former “Club kid” and current Redwood City Clubhouse Leadership Director Leslie Hernandez emceed the event, sharing the story of BGCP’s impact on her life and then introducing BGCP CEO Jenny Obiaya. Obiaya's speech about her upbringing and journey in an education career that led her to BGCP reached a crescendo as she told the audience of the need for resources to ensure that youth are “nurtured by community, not dictated to by circumstance.”

Next, the four Youth of the Year finalists – Azaria, Makasini, Johanna, and Anderson – delivered their speeches for consideration by selection panelists Bianca Gates (Birdies CEO), Mamoon Hamid (Kleiner Perkins Partner), Aaron Levie (Box CEO), Marissa Mayer (Sunshine CEO), and Ryan Roslansky (LinkedIn CEO).

Azaria, a student at East Palo Academy, spoke of BGCP’s role in helping her overcome racism, dyslexia, and bullying. She emphasized the importance of a strong mindset, hard work, and a compassionate heart. As an aspiring filmmaker, she spoke proudly of “standing up here representing the people and places who helped me express myself."

Makasini, who attends Sequoia High School, opened his speech with a quotation relevant to his experience: “A man who has been destroyed a thousand ways knows a thousand ways to rebuild himself.” He spoke of BGCP helping him rebound from his mother's deportation, his racial trauma, and his juvenile detention, adding that what matters most is “not the cards you’re dealt, but how you play them.”

Johanna, a Middle College student (mixing high school and college classes), explained how she is now both a senior in high school and a sophomore in college. Her BGCP story focused on the power of being surrounded by other ambitious students as a key to helping her through imposter syndrome and maintaining the drive to pursue a medical career.

Anderson, a student at Oxford Day Academy, spoke of thriving as "a product of two cultures" since his 2019 immigration from El Salvador. In BGCP, he found a community of many youth in various stages of struggle stemming from language barriers and other challenges of immigration, which helped bolster his will to excel academically and as a coach for younger BGCP soccer players.

As selection panelists deliberated after the speeches, guests watched a video inspired by TV’s “The Amazing Race,” in which Jenny Obiaya and BGCP Board Member Scott Forstall attempt to visit all 13 of the sites the organization added in Northern San Mateo County as a result of the merger completed last year.

With the video’s cliff-hanger ending instructing Obiaya and Forstall to wait until the night of the event to open the final clue envelope, Forstall bounded onto the stage as if in a segue from the video. There, he opened the envelope and read to the audience about a surprise $2-million fundraising matching challenge, which spurred a raucous and exciting fundraising portion of the event.

That appeal complete, Obiaya re-took the stage and asked the panelists to share their feedback on each Youth of the Year finalist. As drama built in the lead-up to announcing the Youth of the Year, BGCP Member Esther, who frequently sings at the organization’s events, performed a stirring rendition of Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me.”

Emotions at a peak from Esther’s performance, Obiaya finally announced the Youth of the Year honor going to…Anderson! His first hug came from Azaria, standing next to him on-stage and showing as much excitement as if she were receiving the honor.

Perhaps his favorite hug came from his father, whom he had addressed from the stage in their native Spanish, thanking him for his hard work and example that led Anderson to this climactic moment and the chance to represent BGCP in the pursuit of the National Youth of the Year honor presented by Boys & Girls Clubs of America.