South Lake Tahoe teen named Youth of the Year

Mya Rossi has been named Youth of the Year by the Boys and Girls club of Lake Tahoe because of her outstanding contributions to both the club and her community.

Along with this role she will also be receiving a Heavenly/Kirkwood/Northstar season pass next winter courtesy of the Vail Epic Promise Program.

As the new Youth of the Year for Boys and Girls Club of Lake Tahoe, 13-year old Mya is a true example of an extraordinary young woman recognized by BGCA for her leadership, service, academic excellence and dedication to live a healthy lifestyle according to Jude Wood, Executive Director of BGCLT.

“It is a privilege to work with Mya and the other three YOY candidates," said Wood. "Mya exemplifies everything we strive towards at the Boys and Girls Club – hard work, accountability, responsibility, community spirit and kindness towards self and others. Mya is a wonderful ambassador for the Club and her peers.”

This summer, Mya will be attending the UC Davis Tech Trek Camp which is a science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) camp held annually 7th grade girls. For a week this summer, she will be sharing a dorm room with another girl from around the area that shares her same interests and drive in Math and Science. Between South Tahoe Middle School and Whittell, Mya received on of three scholarships available. She was nominated by one of her teachers due to her interest in science, no more than 5 nominees are allowed per school. This is a great opportunity for Mya and will help her strive for her goals in the future.

Other academic awards Mya has received are th Presidents Education Award due to her outstanding academic excellence, and the Hope of America Award due to her demonstration of exceptional leadership, moral character, ethical conduct and outstanding academic accomplishment.

In the past five years Rossi, has been involved in a number of amazing programs that she would not have had the opportunity to participate in without being part of the Boys and Girls Club and one of their outstanding members.

She was invited to join their paddleboard program where she and her team members built one in just three weeks and was also part of their Tahoe Rim Trail Association backpacking trip where they camped for two nights and three days on the trail. If that weren't enough, Mya has also been involved with the BGCLT Torch club program which is a leadership program that holds fundraisers and functions to assist the club and community.

Rossi is aspiring to be either a pediatric doctor, neuro scientist, or musician. She would like to attend a university on the Pacific coast. Rossi plans to help through high school volunteering for the Lake Tahoe Marathon, Halloween Carnival at Sierra House, haunted house at the Boys and Girls Club, as well as any other volunteer opportunities that are presented to her. She has helped with various events at the club such as the Wooden Boat Show being a Junior Judge and selling water on the weekend. She has held a steady 4.0 grade point average throughout her schooling and plans to pursue nothing less in the future. She is enrolled in all honors courses that are available to her.

Rossi has a passion for soccer that sparked an interest as young as Kindergarten in the AYSO program. In recent years she has begun playing year round soccer and was invited to a spring select team. She tried out for the volleyball team this season and was excepted onto that team even though she had never played volleyball before. It was a challenging but rewarding season; she learned teamwork, patience, dedication, and stamina through her participation.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National Youth of the Year recognition program is presented by Disney, who has supported BGCA for more than 50 years, empowering young people to reach their full potential and providing youth with access to the tools they need to build the great futures they imagine. Toyota, the Signature Sponsor of Youth of the Year, is committed to helping improve the quality of life in our communities, and has demonstrated a strong commitment to ensuring youth have access to a quality education. Additional support is provided by University of Phoenix, a national education partner that has joined with BGCA to impact academic success among youth across the country, and the Taco Bell Foundation, BGCA’s premier partner for teen empowerment.