Cleveland teen is named Boys & Girls Clubs Youth of the Year
Ty’Janeya Gordon, a standout volleyball player and class president at Cleveland’s East Tech High School, has been named Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio’s 2025 Youth of the Year.
Ty’Janeya, 18, a member of the East Tech Teen Center, topped a field of six Northeast Ohio finalists for the honor, which was announced Thursday at an event at the Cleveland Foundation. Ty’Janeya, who received a $10,000 college scholarship from Cleveland Guardians Charities, now moves on to the state Youth of the Year competition April 2-3 in Columbus.
Finishing second was Jason Richardson, 14, of the Sandusky Teen Center, who was awarded a $5,000 scholarship from the Guardians.
Ty’Janeya grew up in the Boys & Girls Club. She has been a member since age 5, when her mother signed her up for the King Kennedy Club in their neighborhood. At East Tech, she played volleyball all four years and was team captain. At the teen center, Ty’Janeya has been president of Keystone Club, a leadership group, since 2023 and co-led three community service projects.
In 2023, she was the student coordinator for a clothes drive benefiting the City Mission.
Ty’Janeya said the Club “has made me the young lady I am today.
“They pushed me to be better and gave me a place to feel safe at knowing the kind of community I lived in. The Club never failed me or my family. When I needed help with my homework, they helped me. I learned how to communicate, express how I feel and remove myself from situations without acting with anger because of the staff at King Kennedy and East Tech.”
East Tech Teen Center Director Nikia Dandridge said Ty’Janeya is an exceptional leader. “She has a natural talent for bringing people together and fostering a sense of collaboration and teamwork,” she said.
Ty’Janeya plans to attend Central State University and major in accounting.
Runner-up Jason is a freshman at St. Mary Central Catholic High School in Sandusky, where he has a 3.7 grade point average and is known for his work ethic. After high school, Jason plans to become a blacksmith and sell his own products.
Other finalists were Airyonah Tomlinson, a senior at Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron and a member of the Steve Wise Club; De’Shawn Gore, a sophomore at Lorain High School, is a member of the Westview Terrace Club in Lorain; Kamora Keahey, a freshman at Sandusky High School; and Mariah Witherspoon, a senior at Horizon Science Academy in Cleveland.
Youth of the Year is one of BGCNEO’s signature leadership programs, with opportunities to advance to state, regional and national competition. Teens are judged on community, school and Club service as well as on a series of essays. Scholarship money is awarded to the top finishers.
Boys & Girls Clubs are safe, fun places for young people ages 6-18 to go after school, with a focus on academic success, healthy lifestyles, leadership and career/life readiness. There is no charge to join a Club. BGCNEO was formed in 2019 by the merger of Clubs in Cleveland, Akron, Lorain County and Sandusky.