2022 YOUTH OF THE YEAR
We are proud to introduce Carlos Perez, our 2022 Youth of the Year!
On January 27, 2022, our virtual Youth of the Year ceremony went live - five extraordinary young people were interviewed by the panel of judges and read their speeches. They shared about their lives, their experiences at the Clubs, and their visions for our community.
"The impact I will make as Youth of the Year is leading my peers to inspire them to value themselves and each other," Carlos said. "I respect other people’s opinions, backgrounds, and treat others the way I want to be treated. I have hard days with school or family problems, but I always smile, laugh, and maintain a good attitude with everyone. I know every day is a new day and chance to better myself."
Carlos is sixteen years old and a junior at Oxnard High School. He has already experienced many hurdles in his life, but everyday, he shows up to the Teen Center with a great, positive attitude and is an excellent role model to his peers. He is passionate about helping the homeless - he even led the Teen Center's winter donation drive that brought in nearly 300 items - and wants to become a housing developer in the future.
"When people think of what is beautiful about Oxnard, [they often] think about strawberries and beaches, but I am here to say that we the people of Oxnard are just as beautiful and are capable of becoming great community leaders, role models, and [achieving] success in school," he said.
Our judges selected Carlos because they believe he will be an excellent representative of our Clubs in the community. He is excited to share his Club experience with people across our community, and become a better leader to his peers. As winner of Youth of the Year, he will also receive a substantial college scholarship.
Thank you to our 2022 judges: Yezmin Carrasco of Reiter Affiliated Companies, Adam Vega of The Port of Hueneme, and Jeremey Lux, CEO of Anderson Auto Group.
Congratulations again, Carlos. We are so proud of you. To the other YOY candidates - you all did an amazing job and we are proud of you too! Thank you for all your hard work!
Carlos Perez
age 16
