Acoma student is Youth of the Year

By Jim Tiffin
Staff Writer

Montana Augustine was named the Youth of the Year for the Boys and Girls Club of Acoma Pueblo. (Photo by Jerry Wilson/Independent)

PUEBLO OF ACOMA — Youth of the Year teens from eight states will converge on the Acoma Boys and Girls Club March 18 to compete for the Regional Youth of the Year title.

The teen that is selected will go to Washington D.C. to compete for the national title and a scholarship, says Robyn Kelley, executive director of the club.

One teen has been nominated by the Acoma club, 15-year-old Montana Augustine. She is an eighth-grade student at Sky City Community School, a BIA school in Acoma.

"Montana is our Youth of the Year because she does so much," Kelley says. "She is interested and participates in sports, has a good attitude, and works to help others, like tutoring. She is involved in all aspects of the club, leadership, recreation, drama, arts, technology and science."

Montana's parents are James Augustine who works at Sky City Casino and Marcella, a stay-at-home mom.

"I've been going to the club for about two years now," she says.

"I like it; it's fun to be there. I like helping the kids with their homework, and we get to play basketball," she says. "We play games with the little kids and help out."

Montana is not lacking in confidence. She says she is a good public speaker and is excited about being named the Youth of the Year.

"I think I have the home field advantage," she says, likening the contest in Acoma to a sports event.

"Some of the judges may be from here and they may know me," she says.

"It helps me being in Acoma too, I'll be more comfortable here. My speech will be about how the Boys and Girls Club has helped me. I haven't written it yet but I'm working on it right now," she says.

Going to college and returning to work in Acoma is a goal she says she has selected for herself.

"I'm doing a lot of research on the Internet and I might want to go to college in California," she says.

Montana is part of the Advance Via Individual Determination (AVID) program at Sky City school.

It is a program that requires keeping a journal and a binder with her homework and helps her prepare for college.

"We have to take lots of notes in class and keep those notes in our binder," she says. "Then we are graded on our binder."

The program is for eighth-graders only, and there are about 15 students in the program, she says.

She says she wants to own her own business when she is graduated from college. She isn't certain about the type of business she says, but one thing is for certain, she is determined.

"I like being in AVID and being at the Boys and Girls Club, you have to be determined to learn and go to college. I am," she says.

The club selects a Youth of the Month during the year and than at the end of the year selected the Youth of the Year from the monthly winners.

Twenty one Boys and Girls Clubs from Indian County, in the eight states, will participate in the day-long event which will include judging, selection, dinner, dance and announcement of the winner.

The states sending participants are Arkansas, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming.

As the Acoma Youth of the Year, Montana receives a $1,000 scholarship for college.

If she wins in Washington D.C., she will receive a $10,000 scholarship.

While there, the participants from around the county will meet President Bush and other national and state leaders.

There are five regions in the country, Kelley says.

All participants are evaluated during home visits, must write two essays "Why Higher education is Important" and "Why the Boys and Girls Club is Important" and are required to give a three-minute speech where they are judged on their public speaking abilities, Kelley says.

— To contact reporter Jim Tiffin call 287-2197 or e-mail: jtiffin@blackmesa-isp.net.