Meet Lila, Olympic Hills Junior Youth of the Year

Meet Lila

Lila is a fifth-grader at Olympic Hills Elementary Boys & Girls Club. She has been coming to the Club after school and during the summer for 6 years. At the Club, Lila has come out of her shell and taken on a leadership role.

Lila’s Club story starts in the middle of her Kindergarten school year when she moved and had to change schools. A shy Spanish-only speaker, Lila had a hard time making new friends at school. According to Lila, the Club is where she was “welcomed with open arms”.

On her first day, a staff mentor spent time communicating with her and introduced her to other Spanish speakers at the Club. Though language differences could have stopped her from connecting with people, Lila shared “I became friends with all the kids I met that day.”

Through her time at the Club, Lila has appreciated having a safe place to go after school and learning valuable lessons like how to be there for people. She thanks the Club for helping her to manage difficult issues like “friendship, bullies, [and] racism.”

Olympic Hills Junior Youth of the Year

On June 6, Lila was awarded Junior Youth of the Year for her leadership and kindness!

Lila’s Club mentor, Ramsey Jester, shared: “Lila is the leader our world needs and a Club member we are proud to call our Youth of the Year.”

Lila was one of 18 other Club kids across greater Seattle who was honored at our annual Junior Youth of the Year recognition event. She overcame her fear of public speaking by delivering her inspiring speech for a crowd of over 100 community members.

Lila has always been a great helper and example for other kids at the Club. She stacks floor mats, washes tables, and cleans up from activities without even being asked. She has strong relationships with other Club kids, manages conflict with maturity, and according to Ramsey, “makes our Club a better place.”

Congratulations to Lila for winning Junior Youth of the Year, and thank you for being such a wonderful role model for Club, staff, and community members alike.