Youth of the Year
BUILDING LEADERS FOR THE FUTURE.
Each year, thousands of Club teens participate in local, state and regional Youth of the Year events. Six teens advance to the National Youth of the Year, where one outstanding young person is named National Youth of the Year.
2024 Youth of the Year
Brianna Spencer
2024 Youth of the Year Finalists
We are honored to introduce Brianna Spencer, 2024 Youth of the Year for Greater Southwest Michigan.
Brianna is a 17-year-old senior at Benton Harbor High School. She is the daughter of Kimberly Lewis and has been a Club member for 11 years. Brianna’s favorite Club program is SMART Girls because growing up she didn’t have any sisters and SMART Girls provided her with the sisterhood that she was searching for.
When asked about what helped her prepare for running for the Youth of the Year, Brianna said, “I used to work at the Club's Fettig Youth Campus in the drama room working with Beyond Limits. Working with the younger Club members taught me a lot about myself and helped me become a better version of myself. For example, I had to learn to become more patient and not expect everything to go right the first time. I believe this is a skill that helped throughout the Youth of the Year process.”
Brianna continued by saying, “The Youth of the Year process was very demanding and stressful to navigate. We got started a little later than normal this year which added to the stress but I learned a lot from Mrs. Kayla and the advisors. Even though it was a difficult journey I would without a doubt do it again!”
Regarding what it means to her to represent Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Southwest Michigan in the Youth of the Year competition, Brianna said, “Honestly, it’s an honor but I’m not in this alone; it’s a collective effort. I hope that I’m able to make our Clubs and community proud as I compete for the title of Michigan Youth of the Year.”
Brianna will represent Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Southwest Michigan as she competes with teens selected by each of the 16 statewide Clubs for the state of Michigan Youth of the Year title in Lansing on April 17.
