Meet Lauren:

2019 North Seattle Youth of the Year

Scroll down to see Lauren’s Youth of the Year speech!

• Years at the Club: 7
• High school & grade: Ingraham High School, 10th
• Intended college: University of Washington
• Activities and interests: Club CIT, soccer, ultimate frisbee, basketball manager, sports broadcasting, cooking

I choose to always be optimistic yet realistic; if it’s not realistic then you’re going to be let down time after time.

Lauren’s parents always encouraged her with positivity, and after joining the Club in 4th grade, Lauren found that she was surrounded by positive people everywhere she looked. Through confrontations with difficult life situations, Lauren learned that staying positive and helping others is the best way forward.

After supporting friends going through difficulties such as homelessness and family deaths, Lauren began to seek out opportunities to help people experiencing trauma. She organized a clothes donation for a school dance so that classmates without the means could still dress up and look nice. When a Club staff member passed away tragically, she was strong and supportive for younger Club members. As a CIT, Lauren uses her positive energy to help younger members develop and grow.

Thanks to the encouragement of the Boys & Girls Club for the past seven years and my family of course, I was able to grow and achieve what I thought was impossible at such a young age.

Download flyer to support Lauren!

Meet all the Youth of the Year candidates!

Thanks to Chris Hagen for the beautiful photos!