Boys & Girls Club names its "Youth of the Year"

Khasandra Ayon, a 17-year-old Seaside resident, has been recognized for her leadership skills with the distinction of "Youth of the Year" by the Boys & Girls Club of Monterey County.

Khasandra Ayon now goes on to compete for the Northern California area council title and $1,000 scholarship.

Khasandra is a natural leader, writes Robert Mendoza of the Boys & Girls Club. "As President of our Keystone Club ... Khasandra has motivated other youth to serve their Club and community -- organizing service projects that include exceeding fundraising goals for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life and successfully fundraising so that Keystone Members, including herself, were able to represent BGCMC at that Boys & Girls Clubs of America's National Keystone Conference in Florida."

Khasandra received a paid internship at the club and she "very quickly set herself apart from other Interns," Mendoza writes. "She moved beyond basic assignment of general role modeling and supervision of younger members to proposing and initiating a journalism and writing club."

"I am proud and happy for Khasandra as she takes the next steps in achieving her goal of obtaining a California College of the Arts higher education," said Boys & Girls Club president Donna Ferraro. "Khasandra has overcome many family hardships and worked hard for this achievement. She is well on her way to pursuing her dream of being a published author and developing her passion for writing into a career that contributes to the greater good."