Jeralyn Black becomes first BGCofNL member to win Louisiana Youth of the Year

Ruston senior Jeralyn Black sat in a hotel lobby Saturday morning and decided to drink coffee for the first time. She needed an extra jolt of energy, and maybe a little courage, to prepare herself for the state-level competition and chance to be named the Louisiana Boys & Girls Club Youth of the Year.

By the end of the day, Black checked off another first – she became the first Youth of the Year from Boys & Girls Clubs of North Louisiana to be named Youth of the Year for the entire state. 

“I kept saying positive affirmations over and over,” Black said of her alone time in the hotel lobby. “I kept saying ‘I can. I will. I am.’ I said it three times, then I would touch my bracelet (from her uncle) three times.”

That affirmation became reality as she stood in front of an audience of nearly 100 people and delivered her message of finding her why.

“She was not giving a speech … she was motivating people,” said Vanessa Brown, who led Black’s group at Boys & Girls Club in Ruston when she was in elementary school. “If you would have seen the look on the faces of the people in the audience … it was crazy.” 

Black used her time behind the podium to talk about mental health, and the importance to acknowledge your struggles and get help. As a senior volleyball player, Black was benched and simply told she was not good enough.

“It’s OK to say ‘I am not OK’. I had to focus on what matters to me and find my unique ‘why,’” Black said. “It made my mindset stronger.”

Black competed against other youth in the Boys & Girls Club Movement from Shreveport, Acadiana and the Baton Rouge-New Orleans area. Her father, Santoria, works in sports media and has been a part of many celebrations and compelling stories about athletes, but there was nothing like seeing his own daughter fill a room with emotion.

“The way she captured the audience with her journey … this is who Jeralyn is,” Santoria said. Her mother Shae echoed the same sentiments.

“It was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life,” Shae said. “Jeralyn was crippled when she was born, but she was determined to move. She would find ways to scoot around. She didn’t walk until she was 2. She taught herself to ride a bike.

She’s just a special kid. She brings joy everywhere she goes. She was determined to get here.”

And no matter who follows in her footsteps, there will never be another first-time winner. Jeralyn Black is in a category all her own.

“It feels amazing to make history,” Black said. “Boys & Girls Club gave me an opportunity and lifelong friends.”

Brown, who is now the Regional Director at Boys & Girls Clubs of North Louisiana, is thankful to play a small part in giving Jeralyn an opportunity even as a fourth grader.

“A lot of time she’s been overlooked, but give her the opportunity and she shines,” Brown said. 

Black will now compete for the title of Regional Youth of the Year later this summer.

“It’s been an honor to watch Jeralyn grow and gain confidence through the years,” said Sabrina Love, Boys & Girls Clubs of North Louisiana Chief Programming Officer. “I’m so proud of her.”