photo by: Boys and Girls Club

Arabella Gipp

For the third time in her high school career, Arabella Gipp has been named the 2025 Youth of the Year by the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence.

The annual Lawrence Youth of the Year ceremony took place Thursday at the Lied Center, where five candidates – Alex Johnson, Leah Anderson, Julia Johnson, Arabella Gipp and Abby Benally – presented speeches. The candidates all embodied the values of leadership service, academic excellence and healthy lifestyles, according to a news release from the club.

Gipp, a senior at Lawrence High School who took the top honor, is an active member of her school’s journalism and video programs, and she also serves as a leader in the Keystone Club, according to a press release. Gipp plans to attend Johnson County Community College to study graphic design and pursue a career in digital media.

“The Boys & Girls Club is my place and my family,” Arabella said in the release. “Being able to represent them and share the impact the Club has had on my life is something not a lot of people get to do. I am just so grateful to be a part of this program and the Club.”

Gipp has received the honor two other times, in 2022 and 2023. She also won the state contest in 2022, smaking it the sixth and most recent time the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence has produced the Kansas Youth of the Year.

On the younger front Thursday, Aiden Kong, a fifth grader at Sunflower Elementary School, won Junior Youth of the Year, which includes students in third through eighth grade. The other finalist was Grace Goodison, a Quail Run Elementary School student.

Youth of the Year is the top recognition program for Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide. The event was presented by Mid-America Bank for the seventh year in a row.

The panel of judges — Cori Wallace, Stephenie Smith, Randy Glidewell, Al Hack, Thomas Murray, Emily Peterson and Harry Herrington — spent the afternoon engaging with the teens through their essays and interviews before the ceremony. Each candidate then presented a speech to both the audience and the judges. Trei Wells, the 2012 National Youth of the Year, and Zion Bowlin, the 2017 Lawrence Youth of the Year, hosted the evening as emcees.

Gipp will go on to represent Lawrence in the state competition. State winners advance to regional and then national competitions.

photo by: Jason Dailey Photography

The 2025 Lawrence Youth of the Year candidates. From left to right, Leah Anderson, Arabella Gipp, Julia Johnson, Alex Johnson and Abby Benally.