Nyla Jackson retains her title as Youth of the Year

“It is an honor to once again be chosen as the J.R.B.G.C. Youth of the Year. I will do my best to represent my club, my God, my family and my community,” Nyla says.

A high school junior, Nyla is an honor roll student with a 3.7 grade-point-average and member of the National Honor Society. She is also a member of the Cairo High School band, golf team and CollegeMakers. Outside of school, the 16-year-old is a member of AKA Ascend, which is under the leadership of Lambda Xi Omega, and Kingdom Harvest Fellowship Church.

Nyla says her favorite subject in school is history and her favorite teacher is Mr. Blair Dickinson. When she graduates, Nyla says she hopes to attend Howard University or Vanderbilt to pursue a degree in Anesthesiology, Bio-Medical Engineering or Computer Science.

Nyla is the daughter of Angela Arbeary of Cairo and the late Tracy Jackson. Her favorite quote is, “Why wait until tomorrow when you can be great today.”

The 2021 Youth of the Year has been a member of the local Boys & Girls Club for seven years, and says it provides a safe and productive place for children to go after school. She says she enjoys the club’s staff and the life skills programs that are offered there such as Smart Moves, Smart Girls and Career Launch.

Club director Stephen Francis praises Nyla for her willingness to contribute where needed.

“She is a very busy young lady that is taking on a lot of responsibilities between the club, school and her community,” says Francis. “In 2020, Nyla was the featured speaker at the annual J.R.B.G.C. black history program. Nyla also spoke at the Cairo Rotary Club and the J.R.B.G.C.’s biggest fundraising event, The Diamond Affair. It has been such a pleasure watching her grow and mature into the leader that she has become.”

The Youth of the Year says she enjoys drawing as a pastime, likes the movies “Grease” and “If Beale Could Talk.” Eggs are her favorite food, popcorn is her favorite snack and Coke is her favorite drink. The Georgia Bulldog fan has visited New York and hopes to one day visit the city of Paris, France and the region of Tuscany in Italy.

Nyla says the most influential person in her life has been her mother, who is also a youth development professional on staff at J.R.B.G.C.

As this year’s Youth of the Year, Nyla’s first assignment will be to speak at the 2021 Jackie Robinson Boys & Girls Club Black History program, which is in the planning stages.

“Congratulations again, Nyla Jackson. We are so very proud of you,” says Francis.

The Youth of the Year program is the Boyd & Girls Club premier youth recognition program.

All members can benefit from participation in this program, which promotes and celebrates service to Club, community and family; academic performance; moral character; life goals; and poise and public speaking ability.

Local Clubs recognize members ages 14-18 who were Youth of the Month and select a Youth of the Year, who then participates in state competition. State winners, who each receive more than $7,000 in scholarships with a chance to participate in regional and national competitions. The National Youth of the Year receives a $25,000 scholarship (renewable for up to four years) and is installed by the President of the United States.

Georgia has a legacy of young men and women who have made it the Oval Office as the National Youth of the Year and some who were named Regional Youth of the Year.