Crystile Carter (second from the right in the photo) has overcome many difficulties in her life. She was abandoned at age 7 by her mother and lived in several foster homes. For a while she lived with her grandmother until her grandmother’s health declined. She commuted 2 1/2 hours to go to the Performance Conservatory High School in Bronx, New York.
The Boys and Girls Club became her home, when she had no other place to go. They supported her, fed her, clothed her, and sent her to college. A dance teacher there taught her “how to be poised and confident”. Carter said, “The club is definitely my closest family.”
The Boys and Girls Club of America awarded Crystile Carter the 2012-2013 Youth of the Year. In January 2013, all five Youth of the Year winners met with President Obama in the White House. A highlight of her meeting with President Obama, was when he wrote in her journal “Dream big dreams.”
Carter is currently studying criminal justice as a freshman at Monroe College.