COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A teen from the Boys and Girls Club of Central Ohio was named the 2024 Youth of the Year Saturday, part of an annual competition where months of preparations go into picking a winner.

Doug Wolf, CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Central Ohio, said the club looks for a young person who demonstrates leadership and qualities like academic success and good character.

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Four finalists all took the stage and delivered a speech before the winner, TeAndre Willis, 16, was named.

Willis said the award is the happiest he’s felt in forever.

“The Boys and Girls Club really helped me grow into who I am now by just being a place where I could come and, you know, not be ridiculed for who I am or what I do or what I like,” he said. “It is just a place where I could show up and be myself.”

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“He has demonstrated a strong commitment to who he is,” Wolf said. “Wherever or whenever you see TeAndre, he’s the same human being and he’s committed to service and helping others.”

The Youth of the Year award comes with a $10,000 scholarship.

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