The Boys & Girls Clubs honors exceptional local teens
The Boys & Girls Clubs honored nine exceptional teenagers during a luncheon at the Santa Barbara Zoo on Thursday.
Each teen competed to be the ‘Youth of the Year’ for the Coastal Area Council of the Boys and Girls Club. They represented communities from Simi Valley and Moorpark to the Santa Maria Valley. Each candidate had to give a two minute prepared speech to a panel of judges.
Valeria Virgen, 18, from the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme is the winner. She will now compete in a regional contest with a chance at becoming the National Champion.
The other candidates included Ava Crosby, 17, from the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Conejo Valley, Crystal Zamora, 15, from the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Maria Valley, Enrique Felix Jr., 14, from the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley, Hector Pule, 18, from the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Barbara, Jaiden Ehrhardt, 14, from the Boys and Girls Club of Moorpark, Marco Antonio Cardenas, 14, from the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Ventura, Oliver B. Vallejo, 17, from the United Boys and Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara County and Sophia Payne, 16, from the Boys and Girls Club of Simi Valley.
All nine teens qualify for a full ride, four year scholarship to Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Congratulations to all of the candidates for the hard work and dedication.
