Youth of the Year Michael Alvarez Represents Boys & Girls Clubs of Mason Valley at State Competition

March 16, 2024

Boys & Girls Clubs of Mason Valley 2024 Youth of the Year Michael Alvarez was in Las Vegas, Nevada this week for the State-level Youth of the Year Competition. He competed against Youths of the Year from Boys & Girls Clubs of Truckee Meadows, Elko, Western Nevada and Southern Nevada. Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada hosted the event.

From Boys & Girls Clubs of Mason Valley Spokesman Travis Crowder: “We couldn’t be more proud of our Youth of the Year, Michael! He represented us so, so well at the state competition this weekend. And he’ll continue to represent our Club all year long and make us proud!

BGCMV Director of Development Nick Beaton wrote: “Anyone who knows Michael knows how hard he worked for this, and the incredible job he did this weekend. I’m so proud of him, it’s been an absolute honor to mentor him and watch him grow, and getting to call him a friend means so much.”

From Boys & Girls Clubs of Mason Valley blog : https://bgcmasonvalley.org/2024/02/05/meet-michael-your-2024-youth-of-the-year/

Meet Michael, your 2024 Youth of the Year

Michael A. has called Boys & Girls Clubs of Mason Valley home for most of his life. He began attending the Yerington clubhouse when he was just five, following in the footsteps of his older brother Erik. Growing up (and as he’ll tell you still to this day), Michael looked up to Erik and wanted to be just like him. Attending the Club was one of those steps.

Michael wanted to be like his brother so much that he wouldn’t let time or age get in the way of that. Frequently put in the pee-wee room as one of the little guys, Michael learned to be an escape artist. He didn’t want to be with the other little kids. He wanted to go hang out with his brother. And when Erik moved next door to the teen center, he even tried to say he was older than he was so he could be with, as he called them, “the big dawgs.”

Looking back, it was easy to see that Michael would progress through his Club quickly.

“My time at the Club has taught me so much,” Michael said. “But it’s the last four years that have really changed my life.”

Michael joined the Junior Staff program as soon as he could. He learned how to work, how to write his resume and cover letter, and even picked up some interview skills. That summer of 2019 let him explore his interests, experiment with being a mentor and opened his eyes to the other side of the Club. For years, he was a member. Now, he got to see what it was like to be a staff. He loved it.

So did the other staff at the Club.

Michael was such a dedicated and strong Junior Staff, people took notice. He landed himself an after-school, part-time job in the kitchen helping the nutritious staff. It was the perfect opportunity for a freshman in high school to make a little spending money, but Michael wanted more. He knew the kind of people that became his mentors growing up, and he wanted to do the same thing for those who were younger than him now.

“Growing up, I had staff that I could go and talk to. I looked up to them. They made sure we had fun and stayed safe. I want to be that person for kids at the Club now.”

It wasn’t long before Michael was moved into the gym. It was the perfect area for him. You see, Michael is an athlete, and he’s really shone during his senior year at Yerington High School. He’ll humbly tell you he’s alright, but his team captain status, multiple all-district and all-league awards and numerous runs at state titles say differently. Michael’s biggest passion is soccer, but you can easily find him on a basketball court and track. He served as a team captain in his junior and senior years, taking on the same mentality of mentorship and leadership through action as he does at the Club. He’s the starting point guard on the boy’s varsity team at Yerington High School. His selfless play and strong court IQ bring his teammates up, setting them up for an open three or a quick layup off his accurate passes. His junior year, he was one of the best long jumpers in the state, setting a PR at the Northern 2A Championships. He also helped his 4×800 meter relay team get a top-8 finish last year.

You just need a few minutes watching Michael work in the gym to see how much he wants to share his talent with Club members. Soccer is, obviously, a daily game during the summer in the gym. Michael hops right in to play with the kids, setting them up for goals and helping those struggling to get better. Michael can also be found with a basketball in his hand toward the end of the day, working with Club members on their dribbling and shooting before he heads off to his own practice. In fact, there are several kids in the Club’s youth basketball league that will quickly tell you Michael is the reason they play and keep getting better.

On January 27, after months of preparation, Michael was named Boys & Girls Clubs of Mason Valley’s 2024 Youth of the Year. Youth of the Year is the Club’s premier youth recognition program, where teens from across the country all vie for the national title. Not only will Michael represent his Club for the year, but he and his support crew will head down to Las Vegas in March for the state competition and the chance to represent all of Nevada at the regional level.

It was Michael’s second time being named to the honor after also winning his freshman year. As his mentor, director of development Nick Beaton will tell you, that was a big year of growth for Michael.

“The kid was so shy, reserved and soft spoken, his speech was a process,” Beaton said. “We worked and worked for months on his application, speech and interview. The kid we started that competition was not the young man who won it. Michael really found his confidence during that process, and I’m so happy he’s never lost it.”

After he graduates from YHS this June, Michael will finish out his last summer at the Club.

“I love working here. I don’t ever want to leave because I love seeing the kids grow up.”

But, this past summer Michael took a leap of faith, heading over to nearby Minden, Nev. a few days a week to work at Minden Electric. There, he shadowed Eddie Almeida, a longtime Night in the Country volunteer who owns the business. Almeida showed him the ropes, answered all of his questions and helped Michael decide if being an electrician was the path he wanted to take. Now, he’s admitted to Truckee Meadows Community College where he will start his classes to become an electrician. “Taking that internship was a leap of faith,” Michael said. “I’m so grateful to the Club and my sports for giving me the confidence I needed to take it.”