SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii -- Three Hawaii teens were honored for their individual talents and leadership skills, recently, after a year of mentoring by the Child, Youth & School (CYSS) Services' Youth Center staff, here, and at Aliamanu Military Reservation.
Alexis Brodie was named as Hawaii Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) Military Youth of the Year, Justin Brewer won the (Hawaii BGCA) Digital Arts Festival, and Micah Dunn received Honorable Mention in the Operation Homefront Military Child of the Year Award.
-- A trip to the Hawaii state capitol
While at the Youth of the Year competition at the Hawaii state capitol, Brodie presented her speech on overcoming adversity and becoming a leader of her generation.
"The Boys & Girls Clubs are an incredibly important part of the community," said Hawaii Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald, one of the four competition judges. "The club members who participate in this competition reflect the best values of the Boys & Girls Clubs: honor, hard work, dedication, community service and perseverance. It's an honor to come here and learn more about their stories and to assist by being a judge in the competition."
The day ended with presentations on the House and Senate floors where Brodie received $2,200 in scholarships, certificates from the Hawaii House of Representatives & Hawaii State Senate, and finally her 2014 Hawaii Military Youth of the Year Award plaque.
Brodie will be flying to California for the Pacific Region Youth of the Year competition, this summer. Regional winners will be awarded $10,000 in scholarships and will represent their region at the Nationals in Washington, D.C.
"It is a tremendous honor to represent Hawaii as the Military Youth of the Year," said Brodie. "I would like to thank everyone that helped me prepare for the competition and who continuously help me in achieving my goals."
-- The songwriter
Did you ever wonder what it takes to be a popular songwriter?
Just visit Brewer at the AMR Youth Center, and he'll show you the skills that are required.
His digital music entry into the Hawaii BGCA 12th Annual Digital Arts Festival, titled "People Change," achieved first place in the competition.
This talented 16-year-old has an exciting career ahead of him.
Nearly half of all public schools do not offer visual arts programs. A big shout out goes to our Youth Centers where they are offering quality art opportunities during non-school hours.
"My song called 'People Change' is now being judged at regional level," said Brewer. "I spent hours in my room listening to the beat and taking little steps in creating strong and catchy lyrics for the song."
-- Super military keiki
"The Military Child of the Year Award honors the resiliency and service to the country of our youngest heroes," said Jim Knots, president and chief executive officer of Operation Homefront. "These children thrive in the face of the challenges of military life with grace and courage, and (they) use that experience to become leaders in their communities."
In its sixth year, the program salutes amazing military teens like Dunn for demonstrating themselves as role model citizens in resiliency, leadership and achievement while facing the challenges of military family life.
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