ANNUAL YOUTH OF THE YEAR AWARDS - Westfair Communications

From left: Zayaan Hussain, Paige Fagan, Xio Nieves, Grace Gerosa and Katie O’Donnell.

The Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester (BGCNW) celebrated its annual Youth of the Year Award Ceremony on March 26 at Crabtree’s Kittle House in Chappaqua.

The evening event, which was attended by 165 supporters and friends of BGCNW, featured inspiring speeches by five extraordinary teens who earlier in the evening were interviewed by a distinguished panel of judges. After the judges’ deliberations, three winners were announced to rounds of applause.

Grace Gerosa, a junior at Pleasantville High School, is the winner of the Youth of the Year Award. She has been a club member for 10 years and a competitive swimmer for 12 years. At her high school, she is a social media manager for her varsity swim team, the vice president for Sources of Strength and a member of the Youth Leadership Task Force.

Zayaan Hussain, a senior at Horace Greeley High School, received the Chris Curti Memorial Scholarship Award. He is a club member for 10 years, on the Marlins swim team for 9 years, swam in the National Level Paralympics competition and volunteers at interfaith events, peer leadership and executive roles in school clubs.

Xio Nieves, a senior at Fox Lane High School and club member of six years, received the Wilfred E. Jennings Leadership Award. Nieves is a junior staff member and two-time Youth of the Year finalist.

For the past two years, all of the winners have traveled to Albany with club leadership to advocate on behalf of critical programming impacting New York state youth and families.

The other finalists include Katie O’Donnell, a sophomore at John Jay High School, a member of the club for 11 years and the Marlins swim team

Paige Fagan, a senior at Lakeland High School and a club member for 10 years works for the club as a water safety instructor teaching younger members of the club how to swim

The judges for the finalist competition included WABC reporter, Marcus Solis; Westchester Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Chair Aleida Frederico; Robert Martin Company Managing Director Lawrence Gottlieb; Pro Bono Partnership Senior Staff Attorney Judy Siegel; and Examiner News Publisher Adam Stone.

The winner of the BGCNW Youth of the Year advances to a state-level event. The winner is tasked with participating in events, public speaking and serving as a thought leader and advocate for their club and community. They receive the benefit of a generous college scholarship, mentorship and networking opportunities.

Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester, established in 1939, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving local youth, ages 6 months to 18 years, from more than 40 northern Westchester communities. The club runs high-quality, developmentally appropriate programs, including character and leadership development, health and life skills and sports, fitness and social recreation. This year the club is celebrating 85 years.