Competing against 15 other Boys & Girls Club members from across the state, seventeen-year-old Jahanna Brunson was selected as the 2015 Colorado Boys & Girls Clubs Youth of the Year – the most prestigious leadership title a Boys & Girls Club member can earn in the state.
The National Youth of the Year program, established by Boys & Girls Clubs of America in 1947, recognizes Club members who, with the help of their Boys & Girls Club, have met personal challenges head-on and, despite the odds, have given back to their Club and community. Honorees are selected based on year-long efforts in the areas of leadership, academic achievement, community service and overcoming obstacles.
Jahanna will represent Colorado at the Southwest regional competition this summer. Winners from the regional competition advance to the national competition held each September in Washington D.C.
Jahanna has overcome incredible obstacles in her life, using them as motivation to find success and build a better life. She has been a member at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver’s William E. Cope Branch since 2011. From starting a dance team to being the secretary of the teen leadership group, Jahanna motivates and inspires other Club members. Additionally, she currently serves as the peer leader for the Bully Out Program where she empowers members to step up and speak out against bullying.
“Boys & Girls Clubs helped me understand that you can do anything that you set your mind to and you can overcome anything with perseverance and hard work,” said Jahanna. “No matter what you go through, it’s for a reason and when you come out of it, you’re always going to be a stronger person.”
Jahanna is a junior at South High School and is actively involved in ROTC, Yearbook, Be the Change, the Gay Straight Alliance and the Drum, Psychology and Cooking Clubs. She has enlisted in the Army Reserves and hopes to attend Colorado State University to pursue her dreams of becoming an ER doctor and chef.