Anthony Walker has been a member of the Boys & Girls Clubs for over 5 years and sees them as a second family. He enjoys mentoring other teens and exemplifies leadership through his academic achievements, including maintaining his status on the Principal’s List with all A's. Anthony was named Youth of the Year for his involvement in the community and positive influence on his peers. He hopes to encourage teens to express themselves constructively and demonstrate that young black males can achieve success beyond stereotypes.

1. Meet Anthony Walker:
Youth of the Year for Harland Boys & Girls Club
In Anthony Walker’s experience, joining the Boys & Girls Clubs has not just been an extracurricular to get
involved with or something else to do in his spare time. The Boys & Girls Clubs have been like a second
family to him. He speaks fondly of his time invested in the Clubs and how they have helped bring him a
long way in his journey since the beginning.
Anthony first joined the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club and then transferred to the Harland Boys &
Girls Club when he was 9 years old. After five plus years participating in the Clubs, he recalls some of his
fondest memories having taken place just last year during a program called Steam Truck, one of many that
he has participated in at the Clubs.
“Had I not been at the Boys and Girls Clubs, I would have never been exposed to the people who turned
learning into playing and exploring,” said Anthony, while describing the activities that the teens were
involved in during the program, learning to creatively think with their hands and deconstruct household
objects.
Anthony also enjoys spending his time mentoring other teens, both at Harland and at school. He exemplifies
leadership and ambition, all the while practicing a good work ethic and a healthy lifestyle throughout the
many tasks and activities he takes on everyday. These include juggling honors classes, while maintaining
his status on the Principal’s List (all A’s), as well as staying involved in soccer, track and field, and
Parkour/free running.
Due to his merits, last year Anthony was awarded the Lead at Strive Award. The accolade is given to an
individual who embodies qualities of a good student. He is a positive influence among his peers at school, at
the Clubs, as well as his community.
Anthony wants teens today to learn to express their originality, tenaciousness, and sense of adventure in a
more constructive way. As a National Youth of the Year potential candidate, he seeks to be able to
encourage others to embrace their uniqueness, demonstrate that young, black males can become more than
what is portrayed in the media, as well as prove to his family that he can become the successful and proud
man that they have brought him up to be. In the future, he also aspires to attend Stanford or Harvard
University and pursue a career in engineering.