Nic's Youth of the Year Journey

Nic's Club Journey

Nicolas ‘Nic’ W. recalls his first day at the Club when he was just seven years old.

At first, he said the Club was just a place to go while his parents worked, but it quickly became much more. “Throughout all of my life the Club has been here for me, including my mistakes and downfalls but also my best moments,” Nic said. “I owe the fact that I could get through all that to my family, which includes the Club and its staff.”

Now a senior in high school, Nic was recently named Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield’s Youth of the Year, and he earned one of the top three seats at Missouri’s Youth of the Year competition.

Administered by local Clubs and Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), the Youth of the Year program recognizes youth for superior leadership skills, academic achievement, obstacles overcome and outstanding service to the community. Being named Youth of the Year is the highest honor a Boys & Girls Club member can receive. As Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s premier youth recognition program, it focuses on acknowledging and making Club members aware of their own leadership abilities.

Nic described the growth he’s experienced as a young person at the Club.

“When I was younger, I had a lot of problems with my self-esteem and who I was,” he said. “The Club has shown me how to love who I am as a person.”

With this honor, the BGC Partners in Education awarded Nic a $16,000 college scholarship. Nic said he hopes this scholarship will help him achieve his future goals. “What I hope to do after high school is, I hope to be able to go to MSU to study criminal law or criminal psychology,” he said.

Nic is described by Club staff as a teen with strong leadership skills, kindness and integrity.

“We have had the honor of watching Nic grow up. What’s particularly remarkable is witnessing him realize his potential,” said Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield CEO, Brandy Harris. “Nic is a light. He is dependable, funny, and leads with integrity. We are so proud of him and cannot wait to support him in his future endeavors.”

To learn more about our programs like Youth of the Year, visit our programs page.