Joslyn Harbin has been named the Oklahoma Boys & Girls Club Youth of the Year.
She is a senior at Caney High School and has been a Durant Boys & Girls Club member for two years.
Harbin is part of the club’s junior staff and also a club member.
“Sometimes, I’m here as a club kid, sometimes I’m here working as a youth development professional,” Harbin said.
For the competition, she had to write three different essays, a three-minute speech, a cover letter, resume and then go through a 15-minute interview.
“The competition is based off your academics and your leadership,” Harbin said. “So, basically, I just went and competed and for the state, it was against six other youths from around Oklahoma and I was lucky and won.” She received a $5,000 scholarship and will be representing the Boys & Girls Club of Red River Valley as well as the state of Oklahoma.
Harbin plans to attend Southeastern and major in general business.
Tami Ghadianloo, Boys & Girls Club Red River Valley unit director, expressed excitement for Harbin and the club.
“As the title of Youth of the Year, they represent the clubs,” Ghadianloo said. “She’s kind of like an advocate, a youth advocate for what Boys & Girls stands for as a safe space for other kids, and being able to reach out and explain what the clubs do and how the clubs benefit others.
“She’ll be able to go around in different spots throughout the year at different Boys & Girls clubs and speak in different areas around the state and of course, probably here throughout the city as well.”
According to Ghadianloo, this is the first time that Durant Red River Valley Boys & Girls Club has gone to state. Harbin will go to regionals later this month where she will compete against six states. If she proceeds, she will go to nationals.
Ghadianloo said that sometimes, people think it is just a certain group of people that participate in the Boys & Girls Club, but it’s actually all sorts of people from across the board.
“If she goes to nationals, she’ll be National Youth of the Year,” Ghadianloo said. “She would represent all of the club kids, Boys & Girls Clubs across America and be talking about what we do and what the benefits are of the club.”
Harbin recently traveled to the Oklahoma Capitol and she met State Rep. Cody Maynard.
“She was selected as the Youth of the Year for all of Oklahoma and will be representing the Boys and Girls Clubs of Red River Valley OK and Oklahoma in the regional finals in May,” Maynard said, in a news release. “What an extraordinary honor to be chosen from many deserving youth to represent this fantastic organization and our entire state.”
