Kat Nilov was selected as the Watertown Boys & Girls Club Youth of the Year for 2017.
Watertown Boys & Girls Club hosted their annual “Youth of the Year” event and selected Club member, Kat Nilov as their winner, who will move on to compete at the state-level.
Youth of the Year, a national Boys & Girls Clubs initiative, is a recognition program that celebrates the incredible achievements of Club members ages 14-18. This year, four Watertown Club members were chosen as candidates based on their active participation and excellent character. Noah Brennan, Sajda Abbas, Kat Nilov, and Didar Jajan are all a constant presence at the Whites Avenue site, acting as positive role models for the Club’s youth members.
Each candidate was asked to write a two-page essay sharing how the Club has impacted them and to prepare a brief speech. They presented these at the Feb. 27 event to a panel of volunteer judges from the community. The judges then asked candidates a series of interview questions that touched upon their character, leadership, and goals for the future. Judges included WBGC Board Member, Eileen Hsu-Balzer, Watertown police officer, Kevin McManus, The Arsenal Project’s Allyson Reed, and Watertown Ford’s Roy Moulton.
The Youth of the Year finalists pose with the contest judges. From left to right: Roy Moulton, Allyson Reed, Noah Brennan, Kat Nilov, Didar Jajan, Sajda Abbas, Eileen Hsu-Balzer, and Kevin McManus.
After the judges deliberated, it was announced that Kat Nilov had been chosen as Watertown Boys & Girls Club’s 2017 Youth of the Year! Kat, a 17-year-old Watertown High Junior, is a member of the Club’s swim team, the Wavemakers, teaches swim lessons, lifeguards, and has worked at the Club’s front desk, and still manages to thrive academically.
“Joining the Boys & Girls Club was the best decision I could have made,” said Kat in her Youth of the Year essay. “It started my journey to become a stronger, healthier, and more confident person. Without the Club to support me, I would have been left to the influences of the streets. My five years here have changed me for the better.”
Kat will be moving on to the Massachusetts Youth of the Year competition, where she will be up against other Youth of the Years from Boys & Girls Clubs across the state. At the Massachusetts Youth of the
Year event, Kat will have the chance to win up to $26,000 in scholarship money! Congratulations and good luck, Kat!