The three candidates arrived at the Youth Center looking sharp and prepared to face the judges in the Military Youth of the Year competition.
They have prepared speeches, written essays, and dressed their best to compete in the local level of the Military Youth of the Year program.
Michael, Angelina, and Brelyn arrived at the center hours before the judging was set to begin on Feb. 7.
None seemed nervous, in fact they all acted like it’s just another day.
Brelyn played basketball with friends on the center’s indoor court, quickly putting on a white, button-down shirt for an interview.
Angelina enjoyed snacks set out for the event and munched on a hot dog while answering questions.
Michael was socializing and chatting with girls as they passed through the lobby.
By their calm and relaxed demeanor, you wouldn’t have known they are about to sit in front of a panel of three judges to pick Redstone Arsenal’s Military Youth of the Year.
The Boys and Girls Clubs of America’s Military Youth of the Year program was introduced in 2013 to recognize young people ages of 14-18 who are served by one of the clubs’ affiliated youth centers on military installations.
The competition consists of four rounds: local, state, regional and national.
This was the local round. All the competitors are from Redstone Arsenal.
Angelina, a student at St. John Paul II Catholic High School, is originally from Huntsville. In fact, she is following in her mom’s footsteps. Angelina’s mom attended the Youth Center when she was a kid. Now it’s Angelina’s turn.
Angelina cited her strength as her dedication.
“I feel like I’m really dedicated,” she said. “I try hard. I like to have challenges. I like different things. I’m always looking to be challenged both physically and mentally.”
And it’s not just talk, Angelina is the captain of the soccer team at St. John Paul II Catholic. In addition, she’s enrolled in AP History and AP English at the school.
Brelyn, a junior at James Clemens High School, said compassion is her greatest strength, and she enjoys working with the other kids at the Youth Center.
“I just spend a lot of time around a lot of these kids here. They touch you in a lot of different ways. They affect you. I can read them,” Brelyn said.
She plans to take that compassion and caring and turn it into a career of helping people.
“I’ve been looking into mental health and counseling as a future career for me,” she said. “It’s really interesting. There’s a lot of studying that goes along with it. The most interesting thing is studying people. Seeing how they’ve changed who they were to who they want to be and how that affects how they behave and respond to certain situations.”
Brelyn is excited to participate in the competition.
“I’ve been here over half my life. The last Youth of the Year is one of my best friends and I’m very, very excited how this will turn out,” she said.
Michael, who is home schooled and enjoys playing basketball with his friends at the Youth Center, has been doing a lot of prep work to prepare for this competition. He’s practiced interviewing and writing essays.
“I take my thoughts and put them on paper and then go back through it and structure it a little more until it’s right.”
While practice is important, Michael believes his greatest strength is his ability to adapt.
“I can adapt to where I’m at quickly because of moving around with the Army,” the Alexandria, Louisiana native, said. “There’s pros and cons from being in the Army. Of course, you have to leave your friends, but you also get to experience different cultures.
“I lived in Seattle before and it’s very different from the South. So, I think being able to adapt from a place like Seattle to here is one of my strengths,” he said.
The judges Larry Gray, Aisha Stedman, and Paula Majors will listen to the speeches, read the essays, and interview them to pick this year’s Redstone Arsenal Military Youth of the Year. Each interview takes about an hour and the judges will have the results in a week or two.
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