On Thursday, Jan. 14, junior Jazmyne McNair won the Boys and Girls Club Youth of the Year Competition.

The Youth of the Year program honors high school students who have a positive influence in their community. Senior Verneisha Jackson accompanied McNair in the competition.

For the competition, the finalists volunteered, wrote essays and practiced speech writing and public speaking. The last step for the nominees was giving a speech about a personal experience with Boys and Girls Club during at a reception at Liberty Hall on Jan. 14.

McNair said the process she went through for Youth of the Year has helped her re-discover things about herself and her ability to lead. McNair will advance to the state competition on Tuesday, Mar. 4.

“I think I’ve gotten a lot of insight about myself and more understanding how to relate to other people and how to treat other people,” she said.