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Jones College Prep Student Named '2015 Youth of the Year' Winner

 Chicago Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago named eight finalists in the 2015 Youth of the Year competition. Laura Ambriz, 17, won. The speech competition took place on March 10, 2015 at Navy Pier. The finalists shared how their neighborhood club helped them overcome obstacles.
2015 Youth of the Year Competition
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CHICAGO — As a little girl, Laura Ambriz, now 17, dealt with bullying from classmates when she immigrated to Chicago from Mexico. But thanks to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago, she said she quickly began to feel like she belonged.

“The club has been that support that I always needed,” she said. “They helped me gain that confidence again."

Laura was named the 2015 Youth of the Year by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago in front of an audience of more than 1,000 Tuesday.

She was one of eight students who were named finalists in the annual competition, held in the Navy Pier Grand Ballroom, 600 E. Grand Ave. The organization recognizes club members who have demonstrated exemplary leadership and service.

 Shauntee Colston Jr. (l.) and Aaron Martin (r.) were runners-up  in the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago 2015 Youth of the Year Competition Tuesday evening at Navy Pier.
Shauntee Colston Jr. (l.) and Aaron Martin (r.) were runners-up in the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago 2015 Youth of the Year Competition Tuesday evening at Navy Pier.
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DNAinfo/Andrea V. Watson

The finalists were then all judged on a speech they delivered as well as three essays they previously submitted, and Laura won.

“I’m so excited and overwhelmed,” a tearful Laura told DNAinfo Chicago between hugs and handshakes from family and attendees who were touched by her personal story of overcoming being an outcast.

Laura, a junior at Jones College Prep, is active at the General Wood Boys & Girls Club at 2950 W. 25th St., where she’s a leader in the Keystone teen club. She also swims and does theater.

Other finalists included Aaron Martin, Glory Randall, Jemmont "Monty" Ransom, Dyanna Velazquez, Tamera Bel-Bey, Shauntee Colston Jr. and Britany Lancaster. All were judged on a speech they had to deliver, as well as three essays they previously submitted.

Each finalist received $1,000, and Laura received $2,000, along with two United Airlines round-trip tickets and a new laptop and bag with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago logo.

“Everybody is a winner tonight,” said Jim Keane, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago, who spoke at the event, along with Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

“As the mayor said: Invest in our youth, so we’re all winners. The city is a winner when we invest in our youth, and you can see the proof of it in those young people tonight,” Keane said.

The club raised more than $200,000 at the event, which will help fund the Chicago clubs.

Laura said the 2015 Youth of the Year competition has been a positive experience for her because she connected with all of the finalists.

“Their personalities are all amazing, and I can identify with each and every one of them,” she said. “They have helped me get here, and to me, all of us are winners,” Laura said.

For the first time, there was a tie between the runners-up, Aaron Martin and Shauntee Colston Jr.  

Aaron, a 15-year-old from Uptown, described the moment his name was called as "surreal." The Amundsen High School student said the Pedersen McCormick Boys & Girls Club has had a positive influence on his life.

"I was a bad kid. I wasn’t doing the right things I should have been doing, but the club would always steer me to the right path," he said, adding that he made the decision to improve his performance in school and stay out of trouble.

That type of leadership and service is why all eight of the finalists were recognized. Jemmont “Monty” Ransom, a 17-year-old Chatham resident who participates in activities at the Louis Valentine Boys & Girls  Club in Bridgeport helps with computer training and tutors the younger members.

Even though he didn’t place, Ransom said he's still grateful for the experience, and he made sure to network with some of the board members.

“I know I’m going to use a lot of these skills in the future no matter if it’s for school or for work,” he said. “Even though I didn’t win, I think I still won by heart, and I tried my best, that’s all that matters,” he said.

For Laura, the competition isn't over. She will move on to the state competition, which will be held in Schaumburg April 14-16.

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