Semi-Final 2: Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula Youth of the Year

At the second 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 16, 2025 selected Middle College student Talaya to represent the BGCP's East Palo Alto Clubhouse.

Talaya and her five fellow candidates for the honor spoke courageously and movingly before a crowd of hundreds, including friends and families and the selection panel comprising East Palo Alto Mayor Martha Barragan (a BGCP student and staff alum!), Burlingame Mayor Donna Colson, Lux Capital Co-Founder Peter Hebert, Stealth Startup CEO Kelly Lacob, and Emerson Collective COO Diedra Nelson.

Talaya helped kick off the festive evening as a member of the clubhouse's hip-hop dance troupe, then changed into her candidate clothing in time to deliver her speech. Answering her opening question -- "What are Black women?" -- Talaya drew on her own lived experience.

She recalled growing up in Section 8 housing, and her mother's sudden passing in 2021, saying, "If trauma can be generational, I hope strength can be, too." Talaya also described how BGCP staff influenced her, again answering her own opening question: "Black women are the real OG influencers."

Other candidates and their speeches included:

- Celena, who attends high school in an upscale area, where she encountered classmates' views of East Palo Alto as "poor" and likely relegating her to "only work at McDonald's." She noted, "it's hard to give your best effort when you know people don't believe in you, and some people stop believing in themselves." However, BGCP student and staff support contributed to her strength to persist.

- Nicholas, who aspires to a culinary career and already works in the East Palo Alto clubhouse kitchen, helping to prepare hundreds of meals per day for his peers. He shared a narrative arc starting with his "bad grades" in school through to his recognizing what it would take to achieve his goals and his adoption of the strong work ethic that now fuels him daily.

- Regina, who contrasted notions of independence with the occasional need to rely on others. She recalled a harrowing migration story from her roots in Mexico and learning English from watching Looney Tunes cartoons as a five-year-old. Regina also related how BGCP has helped her learn to balance independence with a willingness to turn to others for support when necessary.

- Ja'Meer, whose speech considered societal standards dictating that "Black men can't be vulnerable." He shared that -- counter to stereotypes of Black men as "aggressive" or "cool" rappers or athletes -- he sometimes lay in bed, "talking to my dead auntie." Ja'Meer thanked his Mom and "all the women who taught me that vulnerability is a strength" as he overcame such challenges as recovery from a sports injury, racist bullying in the school he attends, losing a friend to suicide, and nearly losing five more who attempted to take their own lives.

- Samantha, who shared her journey from "a reserved person, whose shyness kept me from my full potential" to her on-stage moments that evening, as "the most open she had ever been." Samantha called BGCP staff the first adults other than her parents that she felt could trust. She also shared the story of staff encouraging her to seek mental health therapy, leading to her continuing recognition that "every time I've opened , I've gotten better."

With the speeches complete, the selection panelists deliberated, shared their public praises for each student, and announced Talaya as the semi-finalist winner. Amid the candidates' congratulations to each other a confetti cannon cascaded the stage.