The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis has announced the winner of its 2015 Youth of the Year competition.
Maya Jones was selected from four finalists who shared their story of perseverance and dedication to their family, Club and community.
Being named Youth of the Year is the highest honor a Boys & Girls Club member can receive.
“The Youth of the Year award represents the culmination of the personal, academic, social and civic development realized by Maya Jones,” said Dr. Flint Fowler, President, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis. “We are so proud of all of our Youth of the Year participants who took the time to complete this challenging and worthwhile process. All possess the ability and ambition to be successful leaders.”
Maya Jones, 15, is a sophomore at Soldan International High School and achieved a 3.5 GPA during her first semester of the school year. She has been a member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis – Adams Park Club since she was eight years old.
Maya also represented the Adams Park Club during the 2014 Walgreens Expressions Challenge where she helped write and direct the film “It’s on Us” to address the need to prevent teen suicide. Her team won 2nd place and a cash award.
Maya plans to pursue a degree in Zoology and explore opportunities to save endangered species when she graduates from Soldan in 2017.
As the new ambassador for Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis, Maya will now advance to compete against other Boys & Girls Club members from across Missouri for the state Youth of the Year title April 14-15, 2015.
For more information on how the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis is helping our community, visit www.bgcstl.org
