Selected among five outstanding youth, Chellena “Chen” Castillo, a student of Holbrook High School who resides in the T’iisyaakin dormitory has been named the Youth of the Year by the Boys & Girls Club of Flagstaff. The Youth of the Year title is a prestigious honor bestowed upon an exemplary young person in recognition of leadership, service, academic excellence, dedication to live a healthy lifestyle, and life and workforce readiness.
Now in its 79th year, the Youth of the Year program honor our nation’s most awe-inspiring young people on their path to great futures. Chen will go on to vie for the Arizona Youth of the Year title.
“We are proud to announce Chen as the recipient of our Club’s 2026 Youth of the Year Representative. Her dedication, passion, and exceptional potential embody the values we seek to support and uplift in the youth we serve, cultivating our future leaders. We look forward to witnessing Chen’s continued growth and success,” stated Mark Cox, CEO and president of the Boys & Girls Club of Flagstaff.
Chen strives to uplift the communities she is a part of and has put in over 30 hours of community service this academic year. Chen looks forward to attending Eastern Arizona College to pursue an education in music in the fall of 2026, working toward her goal of becoming a music educator.
If Chen is named the Arizona Youth of the Year, she will vie for the title of Pacific Regional Youth of the Year, the winner of that title will receive an additional $20,000 college scholarship. Five regional finalists, along with the National Military Youth of the Year, will advance to the National Youth of the Year event later in 2026 to vie for the title of Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National Youth of the Year.
For more information about the Youth of the Year program, visit bgca.org/yoy.
