The Hawthorne High School Clarion would like to congratulate Melanie Liriano on winning the 2018  Youth of the Year Award for the Hawthorne Boys and Girls Club.

Every year the Youth of the Year Award is given to one exceptional individual. The director and head advisor of Keystone for the Hawthorne Boys and Girls Club, Mrs. Maggie Kastas, chose members from Keystone that she felt best represents the club.

This year’s nominees were Victoria Jungermann, Brandon Olivo, Melanhy Navarro, Melanie Liriano, and Andrea Roy. For months, each nominee diligently worked to prepare for Youth of the Year by writing numerous essays and taking time to effectively practice for the interview portion.

To successfully determine the winner, prominent individuals associated with the town of Hawthorne were selected to interview each of these teens. At the end of everyone’s interview, these individuals chose a winner based on each nominees’ academic merit, involvement with the Boys and Girls Club, and other requirements that everyone was expected to fulfill. To learn more about this prestigious award the HHS Clarion had the honor of asking Melanie Liriano a few questions.

Hawthorne Clarion: How was your overall experience as Youth of the Year? And if you could do anything differently what would it be?

Melanie Liriano:  Overall my experience was pretty enjoyable. Everyone was in good spirits and if ever any of us had doubts on our qualifications for the title we always cheered each other on. It was more like working with a team then it was a competition. That being said, if I could go back in time I would definitely go back and change some of the answers I put on my application. They were just too cheesy.

Hawthorne Clarion Reporter: What were some of the criteria you had to meet for this award?

Melanie Liriano: In order to receive the award, you had to be a good influence on your peers, the community, and more importantly the kids. After all it is the Boys and Girls Club. You also had to have good grades in school, and a relatively clean academic record. Finally, you had to be a good speaker, and not just publicly. You had to know how to speak to someone properly, from toddlers to the elderly. Sometimes that is harder than delivering a speech.

Hawthorne Clarion Reporter: Being in high level classes and participating in various extracurricular activities, how did you manage to balance everything with Youth of the Year added to your heavy workload?

Melanie Liriano: If I am being honest, it was not too much of a challenge. Ms. Maggie and my friends, who were also doing it, kept me from slipping up. Also, I have always enjoyed writing and it is simple to write about something you are passionate about.

Hawthorne Clarion Reporter: What were your thoughts and feelings when you won Youth of the Year?

Melanie Liriano: Not going to lie, I was kind of frozen in place. That entire night I was sort of in a daze so when they announced the winner it did not really set in until the Mayor handed me the plaque. Of course having random strangers congratulate you on your achievements was also something new.

Hawthorne Clarion Reporter: After winning local Youth of the Year, what is the next step in this process?

Melanie Liriano: After they announced the local Youth of the Year the next step is to prep for the state level. I would have to take another look at my packet and essays before finalizing it to send it over to the next round of judges. If I win the state competition then I would compete in the Northeast region. Luckily that is still a ways away.

The HHS Clarion commends Melanie once again for this outstanding achievement. Through Melanie’s hard work and dedication, it demonstrates that people can attain their goals if they continue to push themselves to live up to their full potential. We wish Melanie the best of luck at regionals and hope that she continues to excel in Youth of the Year. On behalf of the HHS Clarion, we would like to say that we are proud to recognize Melanie Liriano as a true Hawthorne Bear.