Waite senior is organizational Youth of the Year

TOLEDO – Tamyah Griffin, a senior at Morrison R. Waite High School, is the 2024 Boys & Girls Clubs of Toledo Organizational Youth of the Year.

Youth of the Year is Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s signature leadership award. The honor began in 1947 and includes local, state, regional and national competitions.

Griffin has a passion for visual arts and is the founder and president of Waite’s debate club. She is also treasurer of the National Honor Society and her senior class and a member of the Young of Women of Excellence. 

She is a TEC Teen junior staff member at the Carson Family Boys & Girls Club and is president of the Keystone Club, a leadership group for members 14 and older. In 2023, she was a recipient of the John E. Gunckel Award for service.

As a TEC Teen, Griffin assists adult staff with implementing Boys & Girls Clubs of Toledo programs and engages with young members as a mentor.

Griffin plans to attend either Howard University or Bowling Green State University and pursue a career in animation design.

In April, Griffin will compete for Ohio Youth of the Year recognition in Columbus.

Griffin was chosen from three finalists from across Toledo.

The finalists are: 

• James Butler, Jr., a senior at Central Catholic High School and a TEC Teen and assistant coach at the David Wehrmeister Boys & Girls Club. He is a member of the National Honor Society and a recipient of the Irish Biologist Award and John E. Gunckel Award for Service. He plans to attend either The University of Toledo or The Ohio State University and major in electrical engineering.
• Courtney Jones, a senior at Roy C. Start High School and a TEC Teen at the Wehrmeister Club. She is a DECA state qualifier, a member of the National Honor Society and a Boys & Girls Clubs of Toledo Member of the Year recipient. She plans to attend Kent State University to major in fashion design and merchandising.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Toledo recently hosted a Youth of the Year preview night at the Schoenrock Family Club. The three finalists answered questions about their Boys & Girls Club experience, academic achievement, leadership and service, and character. They also delivered prepared speeches.

The Carson Family Club choir and the Schoenrock Family Club dance team performed at the preview event.