Meet Kaidyn: Youth of the Year for Jesse Draper Boys & Girls Club

Club membership: Joined in 2021

Post-Secondary/Career Interest: I really want to go to Woodward High School, and for college, I want to go to UCLA. To have a career in the medical field.

How has your Club supported your goals for college, post-secondary education, and career? By bringing in guest speakers from different backgrounds and exposing us to different people and completely different careers and why do they do it and how they do it. I remember one time they brought Greg Street radio host or even third African American race car driver in history to win NASCAR’s nationals series race, Rajah Caruth. It was fun to see what it was like for him being behind the wheel. The Club has exposed us to so many different careers.

Why is it important for the youth to use their voice in today’s society? It’s important because we are the future. We are the new tomorrow and when we speak up for what we believe in, we can go really far in life. You know there’s a saying closed mouth don’t get fed. If you don’t speak up, you don’t know where you’re going or where you’ve been because in today’s society you got to talk, you got to speak, you have to say something.

Short Bio: Kaidyn is a 13-year-old student who credits Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta helping her with building her confidence with public speaking. Especially by reading poems at our Club’s Christmas celebrations and also emceeing one event, which taught me how to stay calm and keep people engaged. And knowing that my words could help make those moments feel more welcoming and fun for other people.