Monroe teen snags state BGCA title

BY PATRICK BUFFETT
CASEMATE STAFF WRITER

For the first time in its 61-year competition history, the Virginia chapter of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) has chosen a member of the Army community as its state-level Youth of the Year.

Duston Scarborough, a 17-year-old junior student at Kecoughtan High School in Hampton and an eight-year member of Fort Monroe Youth Services, will receive a $1,000 scholarship from the competition sponsors – the Reader’s Digest Foundation – as well as a $1,000 scholarship from the Virginia BGCA. He also will represent Virginia in the regional BGCA Youth of the Year meet scheduled for mid-June in Charlotte, N.C.

“This really is a huge honor,” said Duston, who lives in Hampton with his mother Dorothy Scarborough, an employee with the Directorate of Army Family Morale, Welfare and Recreation at Monroe. “I think of it as more than just a title I happened to win … it’s reinforcement that I’m doing good things with my life and that, academically, I’m on the right track.”

According to a BGCA press release, Youth of the Year is the highest honor that can be awarded to one of its members. The selection is based on the competing individual’s contributions to family, school, community and BGCA programs. How the nominee has overcome personal challenges also is considered by the judging panel.

In addition to his studies at Kecoughtan and a Spanish 4 class at Phoebus High, Duston participates in advanced courses at the New Horizon Governor’s School for Science and Technology in Hampton. The latter sessions are sponsored by Thomas Nelson Community College, and the credits earned can be applied to Duston’s degree pursuits a couple of years from now (he has set his sights on the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he will major in marketing).

“Right now, my GPA is 4.1,” Duston said. “It does take a lot of work to keep my grades up, but it’s all worth it. I don’t want to waste the opportunity to achieve the best education I can.”

Duston’s routine community service contributions are equally ambitious. He’s a member of the Warriors for Christ youth ministry singing group. He tutors other students through a homework assistance program offered at Monroe. He rings the Salvation Army bell during the holidays and raises funds for the 4-H a couple of times a year. He has served as a junior counselor at various venues, to include youth summer camp, the Army Installation Management Command Northeast Region Youth Leadership Forum and the Hampton Teen Police Academy. The list continues to the tune of 320 volunteer hours per year, on average.

“I like to occupy my time with things that are productive,” Duston said. “It’s also a way to express who I am and what my interests are. If I’m excited about something, I want to show it by being active and supportive. If it happens to help someone else out; that’s great too.”

In the personal challenge arena, Duston described the difficulties of growing up in a one-parent home. Beyond the financial hardships typically associated with a single-income household, he said he often missed the “male influence” that a lot of other children enjoyed. There was no dad hanging out at sporting events or showing him how to fix things around the house.

“But my mom has done a great job of filling that role as much as she could,” Duston said with a playful nudge of Dorothy’s shoulder. “We hang out together, and it’s really the best of both worlds because she has become a pretty good cook and doesn’t mind ironing my clothes when she sees that I’m really busy. She still doesn’t play basketball with me; though, so that’s something we need to work on.”

Duston said his mom also deserves a lot of the credit for what he’s accomplished in the BGCA Youth of the Year arena. All of the curricular and extra-curricular activities he continues to be involved in require time, transportation and, occasionally, money. “She is my biggest supporter and she does a lot to make sure I stay on top of things. I really appreciate that.”

If Duston wins at the regional level in June, he will be awarded a $10,000 scholarship and the opportunity to compete in the national BGCA Youth of the Year competition in Washington D.C. later this year. The rewards of that event include a $15,000 scholarship and an award presentation by President George W. Bush in the Oval Office.

Regardless of the outcome, however, the Youth of the Year nominees are “living proof that Boys and Girls Clubs across the country are fulfilling their mission of inspiring and enabling young people,” said Roxanne Spillett, BGCA president. “We are most appreciative to the Reader’s Digest Foundation for their long-time support of our Youth of the Year Program and for helping club members attain their goals.”

For more information about the Youth of the Year program, visit www.bgca.org/yoy.