CCHS grad named Northeast Boys & Girls Clubs Youth of the Year
Aug. 14—LAWRENCE — Faith Omosefe, a recent graduate of Central Catholic High School, was named the Northeast Youth of the Year by Boys and Girls Clubs of America, selected among 12 finalists across the region.
Omosefe was awarded a $20,000 college scholarship at this year's Northeast Youth of the Year Celebration event.
A Methuen resident, she plans to attend Amherst College, according to information posted on the Central Catholic website.
Omosefe began her journey at the Lawrence Boys & Girls Club 11 years ago, quiet, and unsure of herself. She describes her earliest experiences there as a slow influence until she found her place at the club, according to a statement released by the club.
"I've always envisioned my experience at the Club like frost traveling up a car window on frosty October nights," she said. "It begins at the base until it travels its way to the top of the windshield — until my entire person is coated in a thin sheet of its influence, until it feels at home."
The club steadily helped her build her confidence, with staff and peers encouraging her to participate in her passions, such as dancing and creative writing. When Omosefe felt she was not capable, she was reminded of the support around her, according to the club statement.
"I'm free to imagine, create, and produce increasingly mature works of art that even shock me from time to time," she said. "I let go of the test scores that told me to drop my pen and I owe it all to the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence."
Omosefe also found a love for community service during her years with the club, particularly helping children. She participated in community service
initiatives and by high school, had become vice president of the Keystone Club.
"Through serving the kids for two hours every day, I developed a genuine love for community service," she said.
"I made it a point to be part of the reason they smiled every day and with that the club showed me the true meaning of compassion, strengthening my ability to connect with others," she said.
This fall, Omosefe will contend for the National Youth of the Year title in Los Angeles. The National Youth of the Year receives an additional $50,000 scholarship, a brand-new Toyota Corolla and the opportunity to serve as a spokesperson for Boys & Girls Clubs of America representing 4.6 million Club kids and teens, according to the club statement.
Omosefe said she intends to pursue law and one day publish her own book of poetry, focusing on being a black woman in America and encouraging self-love.
"Along with my future work in politics, giving young black women interested in law a figure to look up to, my stories show a vulnerability often denied to women of color," she said.
"Self-love is key to enacting real change in the world and to see those who look like you be praised for being strong and beautiful boosts self-esteem more than a million compliments ever could. This is why I will fight to be the black teenaged role model I never saw as a child, and why representation matters to me," she said.
Follow staff reporter Jill Harmacinski on Twitter @EagleTribJill.
