Adrian Johnson Competes for Youth of the Year State Title

Adrian Michael Johnson Jr., 2016 Youth of the Year for Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Redlands-Riverside, competed for the California Youth of the Year title in Palo Alto April 6. To get there, Adrian gave the winning speech at the competition for San Bernardino and Riverside county clubs in March in Palm Springs. The day before the state competition, Adrian participated in Legislative Day at the capitol in Sacramento. He met Assemblymember Jose Medina and Sen. Richard Roth and told them how the Club impacted his life, and got a tour of the Senate chambers. “We talked about why we need after-school program funding,” said Adrian, 17. The next day, Adrian toured Stanford University with other state finalists. The finalists then gave their speeches to judges and were interviewed. They gave their speeches again for invited guests at the state Youth of the Year dinner, and the winner, Jocelyn Woods of Boys & Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley, was announced. She will compete for the Pacific regional title. Adrian called the overall experience "absolutely amazing." "It was great -- everyone there was so supportive," he said. "Me and the other Youth of the Years are going to keep in touch, we bonded so well." He said he was “petrified” both times before giving his speech, but once he got going it felt natural. “I was just giving my story, giving my experience,” he said. He said he learned to relax and be himself when communicating with others. A senior at Rancho Verde High School, Adrian has been involved with the Club’s Moreno Valley site for three years. He hopes to attend UC San Diego to study acting. His passion is to bring the arts to low-income communities. Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Redlands-Riverside will honor Adrian and its Youth of the Year Ambassadors at the Be Great Awards May 6 in Moreno Valley. For more information on the event, visit http://www.begreatie.org/#!be-great-awards/c1roa Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Youth of the Year program “honors the nation’s most awe-inspiring young people on their path to great futures and encourages all kids to lead, succeed and inspire.” Youth of the Years get scholarship money at every level they compete at. For moreinformation, visit http://www.youthoftheyear.org