SH’s Kayla Miller named Boys & Girls Club Youth of Year

Sarah Brown

One of small-town America’s aspiring teachers has taken the baton from her role models while growing up, and is now running with it to be a role model to other children, herself.

Kayla Miller, a Sweet Home High School senior, was named the Boys and Girls Club Youth of the Year at a luncheon March 16.

The Youth of the Year award program recognizes young people who have demonstrated service, character and leadership in their role with the Boys and Girls Club, said Kris Latimer, executive director for the Boys and Girls Club of the Greater Santiam.

As the 2018 Youth of the Year, Miller received a $500 scholarship from Heather McDaniel. She will compete at the state competition March 22 at the Nike headquarters in Portland.

Latimer said Miller has been a member of the club since elementary school, has grown up in a family that had their own hardships, and now works as a youth development professional for the Sweet Home club.

“She demonstrates such maturity and a desire to make things better in the world for other teens,” Latimer said.

In a speech presented at the luncheon, Miller explained how the club was a healthy outlet for her after her parents divorced and she moved to a new town.

“When I had a rough day, I always knew that club staff would talk to me and help make my day better,” she said. “Now that I’m older and work at the club, I understand what some of these kids might be going through.”

Miller said she is inspired by being a role model, and wants to make that her life’s achievement as a teacher.

“It’s an amazing feeling to know that you help a kid and their life is better because of it,” she said. “I want to impact kids’ lives; I had a lot of teachers that helped me.”

Participating in the Youth of the Year program taught Miller responsibility and time management, she said. Although there was a lot of work to do, she knew it would be a good opportunity to help her achieve her goals.

This year three high school club members participated in the program, Latimer said. Besides Miller, there were Jordan Breese and Alex Christy, both of Lebanon High School.

“It’s a big ordeal. It’s five essays and an interview process,” Latimer said. “To get high school kids to be willing to sit down and take the time to do all that is not easy.”

The three judges this year included retired Sweet Home schools Supt. Dr. Larry Horton, who sits on the Sweet Home Boys and Girls Club council; Anita Johnson, a former development director at the club; and Paul Aziz, Lebanon’s mayor.

Aziz said they had a great time getting to know each of the candidates, and enjoyed that the teens had to write their own personal brand.

“I thought the personal brand was kinda neat because kids today really do have a brand,” Aziz said. “They want to be individual, they want to be themselves, and to hear them write individually about what the club did for them and what’s going on in their lives, it was really fun for me to participate in.”

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