NC Youth of the Year

Elijah Sellers: 2020 North Carolina Youth of the Year

The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tar River Region is proud to announce Elijah S., has been chosen as the 2020 State Youth of the Year. Youth of the Year has been Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s premier recognition program, celebrating the extraordinary achievements of Club members. Elijah is a sophomore at Tarboro High School and member of the Club’s Tarboro Unit. He credits the Boys & Girls Clubs for helping him reach out, learn important life skills, and open many opportunities for him.

Elijah’s story :

“A boy, no a black boy, lost in a world not built for him. Fatherless, stereotypical, and misguided. Trouble was a very close friend of the boy, and the only thing closer than trouble was pain. A boy, looking for a place that will bring him joy, a little hope, and maybe even peace. I am the boy, the boy we are all imagining or, at least I was that boy, before Boys & Girls Clubs. I place my club experience among those that have changed my life and shaped me into the profound young man I am today.” ~Elijah 

Elijah won a scholarship for winning the state competition and plans to attend NC State to become a genetic engineer. Elijah will compete in the regional competition this September and will hopefully move on to the national competition. The National Youth of the Year serves as both an exemplary ambassador for Boys & Girls Club youth and as a strong voice for all of our nation’s young people.