Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area (BGCAA) recently named Dennis Vera, a high school senior at Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders, as Austin’s Youth of the Year. Vera will receive a $5,000 scholarship from the Austin Area Boys & Girls Club Foundation and speak at BGCAA’s Great Futures spring luncheon on May 19.
“An amazing young lady with a promising future, Dennis will serve and represent our area clubs as the 2015 Youth of the Year,” said Maricela Casados, Club Director at the Ann Richards School. “She started in the Ann Richards Club at age 11 and has made the club a ‘home away from home.’ She’s proof positive that great futures start at our local Boys & Girls Clubs.”
Vera plans to attend an Ivy League school, major in political science and communications, and become a politician.
“Dennis is so driven that, for a while, she would wake at 4 a.m. to go to McDonald’s to complete homework, as her home was without electricity,” said Casados.
Marcus Jones, a senior at LBJ High School, was named as runner-up for the Austin area. Jones will receive a $3,000 college scholarship and serve as an additional spokesperson for the Boys & Girls Clubs.
