Lorelei Lewis, a senior at Sigonella Middle/High School, was recently named the 2022 Naval Air Station Sigonella Military Youth of the Year.
“Lorelei is a unique teenager who demonstrates maturity beyond her years,” wrote Channette Ingram, Child and Youth Program teen coordinator at NAS Sigonella. “She is intuitive, creative and possesses a sincere desire to learn in all aspects of her life.”
The Military Youth of the Year is a Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) program created to recognize outstanding teens on U.S. military installations across the globe. Created in 2013, this award is part of the Youth of the Year Program, which serves teens in BGCA-affiliated programs throughout the United States.
According to the Boys & Girls Club website, this program aims to honor "young people, ages 14 to 18, for their commitment to community service, academic success, good character and citizenship, and establishing long-term goals."
Lewis has been a member of Sigonella’s youth program for two years and has participated in many extracurricular activities, including varsity sports, National Honor Society (co-president), Student Council (senior class treasurer), BGCA Keystone, Dressember, yearbook, and the 4-H Club (vice president). She has also volunteered as a CYP youth sponsor, an AVID tutor, and library volunteer.
As a military-affiliated youth, Lewis has lived on or near military bases her entire life, including the past 10 years overseas.
“One of the biggest challenges of being a military child is moving from location to location,” said Lewis. “In a lot of ways, I liken it to having a nomadic lifestyle: most military children move roughly every 3 years, taking our belongings and family with us but leaving behind our friends and home each time. I've had to learn to make a home out of wherever I move, but though there are definite disadvantages, there are also just as many benefits. Difference does not always equate to disadvantage.”
Once she moved to Sigonella, Lewis found a friendship and strong community through Keystone, a BGCA program that provides “leadership development opportunities for young people ages 14 to 18… in three focus areas: academic success, career preparation and community service,” according to their website.
“My friends invited me to join them during my first year in Sigonella, and I was curious about a lot of the things they did with Keystone,” Lewis recalled. “I joined the Keystone Club to be with them, but unfortunately, our CYP was shut down. We've been working to restore it for the past year, though most of the friends I had who originally encouraged me to become involved have since moved.”
Over the past two years, the COVID-19 mitigation measures meant that that many programs, clubs and extracurricular activities were curtailed.
“It's been tough in a lot of ways,” Lewis said. “Everything shut down for a while, and as a military dependent with no license on a rural base, there hasn't been much to do. Slowly but surely, however, I and other teens like myself have been working to bring back our clubs, sports, and more to return things to normal.”
Lewis’ dedication to this cause did not go unnoticed.
“Lewis facilitated in the creation of virtual programming for the members of the NAS Sigonella Youth Program,” said Ingram. “Her dedication to the program provided beneficial opportunities to youth during a pandemic. She facilitated service projects for the community and informative seminars for her peers. Her willingness to step up as a leader or a team player is an impressive strength.”
Despite the challenges of her time here, Lewis has enjoyed being part of the CYP and Sigonella team.
“My favorite parts of CYP and school is the camaraderie between everyone,” said Lewis. “We have a goal and a purpose, but above all, we're here to support and grow with each other, and to push each other to be our best.”
| Date Taken: | 05.06.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 05.17.2022 05:31 |
| Story ID: | 420339 |
| Location: | SIGONELLA, IT |
| Web Views: | 21 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Lewis Named Sigonella's Military Youth of the Year, by Megan Mills, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
LEAVE A COMMENT