Semi-Final 1: Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula Youth of the Year

At the first of two Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula (BGCP) semi-final events to determine a Youth of the Year candidate, a panel of esteemed business and civic leaders on January 14, 2025 selected Richard to represent the BGCP's Redwood City Clubhouse.

Richard and his four fellow candidates for the honor spoke strongly to a crowd of hundreds, including friends and families and the selection panel comprising KKR Partner Raj Agrawal, Stanford University Professor and Neurosurgeon Dr. Odette Harris, The Sobrato Organization Vice President Camille Llanes-Fontanilla, Redwood City Mayor Elmer Martinez-Saballos, and Philanthropist Lindsay Greene Ramsay.

Richard's speech focused on the meaning of home, which has changed radically throughout his life. His father was deported in Richard's early childhood, leading to housing insecurity and many moves as his mother strived to keep her promise to keep a roof above the heads of Richard and his sister. Richard said he found a home at BGCP's Redwood City Clubhouse. "It didn't just change my life. It gave me life. Now, I'm not just a kid with a story, but a kid with a future."

Other candidates and their speeches included:

- Pablino, who spoke of his many moves from school to school and his struggle to come out of his shell. BGCP attracted him through a fledgling music instruction program that a friend mentioned. Once inside the doors of the clubhouse known as "The Forest," Pablino opened up to many new experiences from varying his diet to trying a sailing adventure.

- Johana, who spoke of starting as a BGCP student enticed by the opportunities for field trips, "but then gained a family and a home." BGCP support, including mental health services, has strengthened her resolve and added to her capabilities in taking care of her four younger sisters.

- Sophia, who explained how BGCP mental health support has built her resilience, especially in coping with depression, anxiety, and ADHD. She also explained how her involvement with BGCP has helped in her burgeoning high school wrestling career. Sophia particularly attributed her growth to her relationship with Cherie "Mz. Chillin" Kabba as an advisor at BGCP.

- Esther, whose singing voice has brought her to perform at many BGCP events in recent years, shared the story of her move from New Zealand, which she'd considered a vacation until she realized her family would stay in the U.S. "All my dreams and plans were shattered," she said. "I spoke little English and felt invisible and hopeless." But BGCP nurtured her interest in music as an outlet for self-expression, thanks to guidance from BGCP VP and Redwood City Clubhouse Director Mike Jones.

When speeches concluded, the panelists convened to deliberate, while the audience mingled, sampled from the clubhouse kitchen's outstanding output, and enjoyed Esther's singing. The panelists returned with moving words of encouragement for each of the candidates, stemming not just from their speeches but from their one-on-one interviews with the students.

Soon after Agrawal praised Richard for "overcoming hardships against all odds," Mayor Martinez-Saballos named Richard as the winner to raucous applause and congratulations all around.