News Photo by Darby Hinkley Skyler Wininger stands next to the Boys and Girls Club sign inside the Alpena club on Friday.

ALPENA — The Boys and Girls Club of Alpena is honoring this 16-year-old Alpena High School student as Youth of the Year.

Representing all Northeast Michigan youth, Skyler Wininger will find out today in a 3 p.m. virtual event at the Boys and Girls Club of Alpena if he will advance to the statewide level of competition. If selected as Michigan Youth of the Year, he would receive a $2,500 college scholarship from Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

“I wasn’t expecting it,” Wininger said of being named Alpena Youth of the Year. “I’ve worked so hard to get here, and I’ve been trying my best and giving it my all.”

He is honored to have been selected from among a pool of outstanding local youth.

“I would be so excited,” he said, referring to if he were named Michigan Youth of the Year.

The Youth of the Year title is a prestigious honor given to an exemplary young person in recognition of leadership, service, academic excellence, and dedication to live a healthy lifestyle, a press release explained. The Youth of the Year is in its 75th year of recognizing outstanding young people with bright futures.

“Skyler is a phenomonal youth and leader not only at the Boys and Girls Club of Alpena, but also within our whole community,” said Catherine Knoch, director of operations at the Boys and Girls Club of Alpena. “He is resilient and utilizes his experiences to advocate for and support others.”

Knoch has been impressed with his progress and growth in leadership.

“When I began working with Skyler, he was immediately an active participant in many of our programs and grew quickly into a leader within those same programs,” she said. “It is a pleasure to be able to be a mentor to Skyler and have him a part of our organization. I am extremely excited for him to be able to represent all of Northeast Michigan during the Youth of the Year state competition,” Knoch said.

A sophomore at Alpena High School, he has been a longtime member of the Boys and Girls Club of Alpena.

“He has been a dedicated participant and leader in many of the programs at the club,” the press release noted. “Skyler is extremely active in our Youth Volunteer Corps program where he is the secretary of the Youth Advisory Council, has completed over 550 hours, and has earned multiple internationally recognized awards.”

Wininger is most passionate about being an advocate for victims of bullying and domestic violence, so he plans to build a career of designing video games that bring awareness to these tough issues, the release continued.

If named Michigan Youth of the Year, Wininger will vie for the title of Midwest Regional Youth of the Year, which comes with an additional $20,000 college scholarship.

Five regional finalists will advance to the National Youth of the Year event in Los Angeles in October for a chance at $50,000 and a Toyota Corolla.