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Youth of the Year, in her own words


The Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley named Maribel Campos its 2015 Youth of the Year, an honor recognizing her service to Club, community and family, and her commitment to a positive life in the face of adversity. At the November 20 ceremony, the teenager delivered this moving speech:

“Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that,” as said by Norman Vincent Peale. Coming from a low-income family, I can admit that I’ve faced many hardships, but I’ve never let them limit my education or opportunities that are within reach. I am 17-year-old Maribel Campos from Sonoma, California. My parents left their homeland and abandoned everything they had in Mexico to give my older brother and me the opportunity to live a better life in the United States and to receive a good education.

I am a first generation American and will be the first in my family to graduate high school as well as attend a four-year university, being that my older brother never graduated from high school. Given that my parents were away at work most days earning minimum wage, which wasn’t what they visualized as the American Dream, I have always relied on myself to succeed in school. My parents weren’t able to offer me help in school because for one, they never attained an education past third grade, and more importantly, they hardly understood the English language. Despite having no support at home for my work due to my parents’ inability to speak English, I have managed to excel in my academics and have always received a grade average above a 3.5.

My life often reflects one of ease, but it hasn’t always been easy. Living below the poverty line with a father who battled through depression for a year has given me inner strength, and with the help of the Boys and Girls Club of Sonoma Valley, my life has prospered in numerous ways.

Living under brutal conditions has impacted my everyday life. I’ve lived under measures of poverty my entire life, moving continuously from rented trailer homes due to my parents’ inability to afford bills and rent. My lifestyle has forced me to value education and all given opportunities. In addition, having a father who battled through depression ultimately changed me. My father suffered with depression throughout my sophomore year because he was sued after being mistakenly accused of committing a crime. Instead of spending time with me, my father spent his days sleeping due to fear; thinking that all his problems would be gone by the time he awoke. This affected me and ruined the tight knit bond I had with my father, because I no longer felt his presence in my life. During that same time my older brother ran away from home.

We’ve always been a low-income family, but our economic status became worse because my dad wouldn’t go to work. At home I had to step up and play the role that my father once did. Since my mom worked and my brother was gone, I had to make sure the living conditions at home were clean and I cooked. Yet, my grades started to drop my sophomore year. I was becoming overwhelmed having to take on rigorous courses, on top of feeling lonely with no support. That’s when I decided to overcome my obstacle, rather than follow my dad’s footsteps of being depressed.

I found relief in volunteering at multiple places, but my favorite was the Boys and Girls Club. I had previously attended the Boys and Girls Club in the second grade, but stopped going in middle school. To this day, I still remember all the old staff including Penny who would hand out lemon drops, Dwayne who worked in the gym, and Pam who would do coloring contests. I returned my sophomore year of high school and by then it felt strange because I didn’t know anyone working there. However, it didn’t take long for me to adjust to the changes and feel welcomed.

The Club gave me the chance to help younger kids by tutoring third and fourth graders, and that is where I met Lilly. Lilly was the sweetest girl and she was a daily reminder that my help did, in fact, benefit the kids, and she was the reason I kept on volunteering. Another fun volunteer event was helping with the national day of play event for kids at The Club. The staff workers were a beneficial support system, something I didn’t have at home all the time. I knew Robin for a short period and then met Nick Hayley. Nick became a brotherly figure for me during the time I felt that my real father and my brother weren’t around. I still see him as an older brother figure today.

At the Boys and Girls Club, I also learned the importance of going to college, and the staff motivated me even more. They’d lay out pamphlets and information I never knew about college. From there I became aware of all the resources the club had to offer. I became even more involved my junior year when I joined Keystone Club and College Bound (which is now Future Focus). From then on my grades and life improved. Sure enough, a year later my father’s charges were dropped. Life started feeling normal soon after and I felt good knowing that I helped others while I was caught up battling circumstances of my own.

Since then I have continued taking advantage of all the resources the club has to offer and I am currently the official translator for the Boys & Girls Club newsletter. I go to external workshops, I am the treasurer for Keystone, I read to kids for the reading buddy program, and recently this past summer I went on The Club’s College Tours as well as the summer retreat. The college tours and the summer retreat were a critical point in my life because that is when I really got to know the staff. I got to know Hilary, Ian, and many other people who I didn’t know. The staff are the main reason I go to the club because the amount of support and dedication they put in every single day is inspiring. I don’t know where I would be without them or the club.

PHOTO: Maribel Campos, 17, the Youth of the Year, with Boys & Girls Clubs Executive Director David Pier.

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