Jazmyne McNair fights back tears as she gives thanks to her family during her acceptance speech after being named the Lawrence Boys and Girls Club 2016 Youth of the Year on Thursday evening at Liberty Hall, 644 Massachusetts St.

When Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence Youth of the Year winner Jazmyne McNair was at the club, she said it was the only place she felt like she could be a kid.

McNair, a junior at Lawrence High School, said she always tried to be a good role model for her younger siblings, but realized she was missing something.

“There came a point where I was trying to be a good role model so hard, that I didn’t make sure that I had a role model for myself,” she told attendees Thursday night at the annual Youth of the Year event at Liberty Hall.

McNair was one of three candidates for the annual scholarship and recognition program. Marcya’ Floyd, a senior at Free State High School, and Verneisha Jackson, a senior at Lawrence High School, also competed for the honor.

Jazmyne McNair, center, reacts to being named the Lawrence Boys and Girls Club 2016 Youth of the Year while fellow candidates Verneisha Jackson, left, and Marcya' Floyd applaud on Thursday evening at Liberty Hall, 644 Massachusetts St.

Since October, the three candidates have participated in community service projects as well as weekly work sessions to prepare for the competition. At the work sessions, the candidates worked with club staff to complete a short-answer questionnaire, write three essays and develop their speech for the public event.

For the first time this year, all three Lawrence Youth of the Year candidates will receive a $1,000 college scholarship — funded by an anonymous donor — that is renewable for four years with academic progress.

As the winner, McNair will participate in the state Youth of the Year competition. State winners each receive a $5,000 scholarship and advance to regional competitions.

Boys & Girls Club executive director Colby Wilson said that all three candidates had grit, which he called the number one predictor of success. Wilson, who has been working with the club for 15 years, said that has been a quality that candidates share.

“That’s 15 years of local and state Youth of the Year programs,” he said. “That adds up to hundreds of kids that I’ve gotten to honor, work with and be inspired by.”

The club currently has 13 elementary sites and a teen center serving middle and high school students in Lawrence. McNair said that the time she has spent at the club provided her the role models she needed, and that she wants to be a teacher so that she can be a role model for someone else in the future.

Jazmyne McNair fights back tears as she gives thanks to her family during her acceptance speech after being named the Lawrence Boys and Girls Club 2016 Youth of the Year on Thursday evening at Liberty Hall, 644 Massachusetts St.

“No matter how independent a kid may seem, someone needs to be there to push them to keep going when they feel like giving up,” she said.

Prior to the speeches, each candidate was interviewed by a panel of judges, who made the final decision. Between each speech, past club members spoke about their experience with the club, current elementary members did dances and the junior Youth of the Year participants came up on the stage to be honored.

When McNair was announced as the winner, her emotion was evident.

“I’m not usually a crier and I’m fairly good at holding back most of the time, but I’m having trouble right now,” she began. “I want to thank all of the people in my life who believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself and the people who stood by me when I was at my best and when I was at my worst.”

McNair thanked in particular her family, which she said is the reason why she keeps pushing to be a good role model. McNair said in her speech that her mom, Melissa Johnson, who is a kindergarten teacher, has been her inspiration.

“When I grow up and I become a teacher,” she said, “I want to be someone that my students can look up to.”