OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — Every year, the Boys & Girls Club of Oshkosh recognizes one of its highest-achieving club members as Youth of the Year. For this year's winner, her experience at the Boys & Girls Club has been about finding a home in Northeast Wisconsin.
Goodness Ajao is a senior at Oshkosh North High School. She and her family immigrated to the United States from Nigeria when she started high school. She says at first, it was difficult to make friends.
“I think it’s not much different than what it’s like in my country to be the new kid. But I think I didn’t really open up to people when I first got to high school,” she said.
But when Goodness starting coming to the Boys & Girls Club after school, she says she slowly began to come out of her shell.
“I became more outgoing and outspoken," she said. "I still keep a lot of things to myself but I share a lot more with other people."
She says the Club kept her motivated when it came to her schoolwork by giving her a place to do homework and helped out her parents by giving Goodness and her three sisters a place to stay while they worked. Throughout her time at the Boys & Girls Club, she has been consistently involved in teen activities and community service, even serving as co-president of the Club’s Keystone Leadership Program.
As the Youth of the Year winner, Goodness was awarded a $10,000 scholarship and will now go on to compete at the Wisconsin State Youth of the Year in March. She will serve as a representative for the Club, representing the Club at community events throughout the year by speaking about her Club experience and the impact it has had on her life.
“She absolutely exemplifies what our Youth of the Year is," said Club CEO Tracy Ogden. "She’s kind, she’s gracious, she’s community service oriented, she loves her Boys & Girls Club, this is a big part of her everyday.”
Goodness has big plans for the future, aspiring to study neuroscience in college and one day become a neurosurgeon. She says the scholarship will go a long way to help with her college tuition.
“I’m grateful for the foundation that gives out the scholarship and I’m grateful they decided to award it to me," she said. "It might not sound like a lot but I believe it goes a long way because that’s probably a year of college tuition for me."
