Boys & Girls Club Youth Of The Year Maui Finalist Recognized by Senate

Five finalists for the Boys and Girls Club of Hawaiʻi Youth of the Year award were honored on teh Senate floor on March 30, 2017.

PC: courtesy office of Senator J Kalani English. Pictured (L to R): Xavier Garrido, Alexis Goodwin, Bryden Kaʻauwai, Shelsi Candaroma and Amanda Caires.

State finalists in the annual Youth of the Year competition included: Amanda Caires of Maui, Shelsi Candaroma of Hawaiʻi Island, Brydren Kaʻauwai of Kauaʻi, Alexis Goodwin of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and Xavier Garrio of USAG-HI, CYS Services at Schofield Barracks.  Brydren Kaʻauwai of Kauaʻi was selected as the state winner.

Youth members at Boys & Girls Clubs from across the state competed at the local level for a chance to be selected as a finalist for the Hawaiʻi State Youth of the Year competition.  Other honorees at various clubhouses throughout Maui included: Talia Jenkins of Lahaina, Leigha Makana Naeʻole of Paukūkalo, Toby Plunkett of Haʻikū and Leah Young from the Central Maui clubhouse.

King Kekaulike student, Amanda Caires of Makawao represented Maui in the state competition.  She maintains a 3.8 GPA and is a member of the BGC Makawao clubhouse where she has expressed a love for art.  Caires recently won her local Boys & Girls Club of America National Fine Arts Exhibit, where her art piece was chosen to be displayed at the regional level in California.

“Amanda has impressed many with her artistic ability, sense of community and volunteerism, academic gains and excellence,” said Sen. English in a Senate newsletter update.  “I am extremely proud of Amanda and the four other Maui youth who competed in this prestigious competition,” he said.