2023 Youth of the Year Chosen to Represent Wakeman Boys & Girls Club

Megan Mazzeo to Vie for State Title and Scholarship

Selected from 7 outstanding youth across the organization, Megan has been named Wakeman Boys & Girls Club's 2023 Youth of the Year. The Youth of the Year title is a prestigious honor bestowed upon an exemplary young person in recognition of leadership, service, academic excellence and dedication to live a healthy lifestyle. Youth of the Year is Boys & Girls Clubs of America's signature effort to foster a new generation of leaders, fully prepared to live and lead in a diverse, global and integrated world economy..Megan will go on to contend for the Connecticut Youth of the Year title and a $2,500 college scholarship from Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Megan is a senior at Fairfield Ludlowe High School, where she has been recognized for her exemplary academic record as well as her athletic and artistic contributions to the community. As a volunteer mentor for peers with special needs, she has developed the ability and desire to advocate for those whose voices are not always heard. A natural leader, Megan was named captain for both the FLHS Field Hockey and Lacrosse teams during the 2022-23 season. As Youth of the Year, Megan will use these advocacy and leadership skills to represent the youth of America. “As Keystone Club president, I am consistently practicing the skills of collaboration and teamwork to create a Club atmosphere that fosters growth and development. Working with others is essential to represent the youth of America as it will allow for the combination of different perspectives.”

At Wakeman Boys & Girls Club, Megan has been an active member of the Torch and Keystone Clubs, chairing the Keystone Outreach and Torch Connection Committees and currently serving as Co-President of Keystone Club. In the summer of 2022, she traveled to California to attend the Boys & Girls Clubs of America National Keystone Conference as a delegate. While there, she participated in forums and connected with Club members from around the country to gain new insights, and even competed in the national talent show. One of her favorite things about the Club is the inclusive community it provides that fosters individuality and personal growth.

As the Program Director who leads the Torch and Keystone Clubs, Coreen Ahmad has witnessed Megan’s contributions and growth at Wakeman BGC. “It’s magical to watch Megan at Wakeman Boys & Girls Club. As role model and officer in Keystone Club, Megan helps show the value of experienced and engaged mentors and leader Megan is an invaluable asset to our clubhouse and the younger teens and even peers use her as a guide, support, and creative idea generator.”

For fun, Megan loves visiting National Parks with her family where they hike as much as possible. She has a passion for photography--which serves as a creative outlet--and has earned her many awards for her art submissions. She will attend Hamilton College in the fall, where she will study biology and play field hockey.

If Megan is named the Connecticut Youth of the Year, she will contend for the title of Northeast Regional Youth of the Year who will receive an additional $20,000 college scholarship. Six regional finalists will advance to the National Youth of the Year event in October 2023, to vie for the title of Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National Youth of the Year. The National Youth of the Year will receive an additional scholarship of $50,000.