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Highlights of 2009 Youth of the Year Dinner
More than 100 Boys & Girls Club supporters gathered for the annual dinner on March 24 to hear teens share their hopes for the future. The event culminates a months-long process in which high school members vie for the honor to represent the Boys & Girls Club. The dinner on March 24 was held at Educational Testing Service in Princeton. Click here to see photos from the event.
Bentrice Jusu, a senior at Trenton Central High School, has been selected 2009 Trenton Youth of the Year in recognition of her outstanding contributions to family, school, community, and the Boys & Girls Club. The honor garners a $2,000 college scholarship for Bentrice who will go on to represent the Boys & Girls Club of Trenton in the New Jersey State Youth of the Year Program.
Also named was Roger Barrett as Junior Youth of the Year. Roger will represent the program within the Trenton Club during the coming school year and hopefully will participate in the 2010 program.
Seven Trenton High School students participated in the Youth of the Year Program. Additionally, five sophomore and junior class members took part in a Rising Youth program to help them prepare for next year’s event. A highlight of the evening was each nominee’s presentation to the assembled guests.
In addition to Bentrice and Roger, the Youth of the Year nominees were Seniors Tieisha Tift, Osvaldo Santiago, and Diana Hernandez. Junior nominees in addition to Roger were Lizbeth Santiago and Manna Selassie.
Those participating in the Rising Youth of the Year Program were Juniors Alishia Thesee, Octiva Sealey, and Shawn Murry-Webb, along with Sophomores Christina Horton and Tyis Everett.
The primary objective of the Youth of the Year Program is character development. Each nominee was paired with an adult staff member in a mentoring relationship that provided individual guidance and encouragement. The program also provided opportunities for learning how to write essays that are well thought out and to develop public speaking skills.
Serving on this year’s panel of judges were Jorge Andrade of Allstate; Leon Fulginiti, NJ Dept. of Transportation, retired; Peter W. Gibson, EMC Consulting; Janice Gross, DevCom Pharmaceutical Advertising, retired; Trenton Councilwoman Cordelia M. Staton, and Pamela Harris-Young of Novo Nordisk. Offering guidance to the Rising Youths were Jeff Frazier of Novo Nordisk and Michele Siekerka of the Greater Mercer Chamber of Commerce.
Before the dinner, judges reviewed and scored the teens’ application packages and then conducted personal interviews with each nominee.
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