Latayza: Youth of the Year 2022
BGCO is honored to introduce Latazya, our Youth of the Year for 2022. Latayza has been a member of The Club for 10 years, having joined in 2012 at the age of 5, and is now preparing to enter her senior year of high school. Having grown up in West Oakland, Latayza recalls her neighborhood as one “that can be mentally and physically draining” but upon joining The Club and seeing “kids being kids, it felt better to know that there was more to life. Regardless of what was going on outside, we were inside having the time of our lives. I always felt heard and noticed at this Club; the fact that I knew I was heard gave me confidence to have an opinion.”
“The Club exposed me to new experiences, I didn’t even know I was missing.”
That boost in confidence has given Latayza awareness in the importance of representation, community service, and giving back, something she aims to do by continuing to volunteer at The Club. “If I can teach a young girl that her skin is beautiful, and how to deal with the negative comments and have confidence regardless of her skin complexion I’d be happy. I think it’s important to give back. I know that I can have a positive impact on younger girls that look like me.”
Latayza, an Honor Roll and Dean’s List student, spends her time at BGCO, organizing and participating in various community service projects, and Keystone where she serves as the current Vice President. She credits her “capacity to make excellent decisions in difficult situations, solve problems, and rebound constructively from adversity” as reasons why she is able to succeed.
“Latayza’s most admirable quality is her determination to succeed. She’s going to always figure out a way to get something done. Her lifestyle choices are a true reflection of her character and leadership skills.”
In addition to mentoring and giving back to her community, Latayza looks forward to her high school graduation where she hopes to pursue a career in culinary arts as well as a major in business so that she may work on her goal of owning her own restaurant. Latayza also has a passion for fashion and clothing design. With all that Latayza aspires to do, her ultimate goal is simply to “impact his world and do some good in it.”
“Latayza has always thrived in my classroom and she has always maintained a positive attitude. Latayza is certainly a student that teachers are pleased to have in their classroom. She has a way of putting a smile on the faces of her peers...””
Please join us in congratulating Latayza for all that she has achieved thus far, including the highest honor that Boys & Girls Clubs of Oakland bestows upon a student-member - the outstanding Youth of the Year for 2022.
The Youth of the Year program celebrates 14 to 18 year-old student-members’ outstanding contributions to their family, school, community, and their Boys & Girls Club; recognizing their academic excellence, moral character, life goals, poise and public speaking, as well as personal challenges and obstacles they’ve overcome. Historically, Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s five regional winners have been honored at a Congressional Breakfast on Capitol Hill and have a chance to meet the President of the United States in the White House each fall.