{"id":94540,"date":"2025-09-17T04:00:40","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T08:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/?p=94540"},"modified":"2025-09-18T08:41:42","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T12:41:42","slug":"freshman-earns-ohio-youth-of-the-year-honor-from-boys-and-girls-clubs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/09_17_2025\/freshman-earns-ohio-youth-of-the-year-honor-from-boys-and-girls-clubs","title":{"rendered":"Freshman Earns Ohio Youth of the Year Honor from Boys and Girls Clubs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tyreese Blue II is on a mission to create lasting change in his community.<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up in a single-parent household in Toledo and the Boys & Girls Club played a huge role in shaping me into who I am today,\u201d Blue said. \u201cBecause of that, I remain active in volunteer work, especially through organizations that give back to young people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Portrait

Freshman engineering student Tyreese Blue II was recently selected Ohio Youth of the Year by the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.<\/p><\/div>\n

Boys & Girls Clubs of America is a national organization of local chapters which provide voluntary after school programs for young people. Blue’s contributions to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Toledo earned him the exceptional honor of being selected Ohio Youth of the Year.<\/p>\n

\u201cReceiving the award was one of the greatest honors of my life. It showed me that my story could inspire others and gave me a platform to represent not just myself, but the kids who attend Boys & Girls Clubs and grow into better people through those experiences,\u201d he said. \u201cI now have my own billboard in Toledo, I threw the first pitch at a Mud Hens game and I got the chance to advocate on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., where I spoke with Ohio Senators about 21st Century Community Learning Centers funding. I even met the vice president of the United States. On top of that, I was awarded scholarships that will cover my tuition at UToledo, which is a blessing to me and my family.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Youth of the Year journey also allowed me to travel to multiple cities across the nation to share my story and be a voice for young people. More than anything, it taught me that when you use your voice, you can create real change,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

In addition to working with the Boys & Girls Clubs, Blue has volunteered over 40 hours with Helping Young People Excel (H.Y.P.E.) of Lucas County, supported literacy programs and community outreach events at the Toledo Birmingham Branch Library, and helped prepare and serve meals in a donation-based setting at So All May Eat (SAME) Caf\u00e9 Toledo.<\/p>\n

His desire to help others extends into his major, construction engineering technology<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Freshman

Blue’s contributions to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Toledo earned him the exceptional honor of being selected Ohio Youth of the Year.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI chose construction engineering technology because I\u2019ve always been interested in how things are built and the process behind creating structures that impact people\u2019s lives. Two years ago, when I visited my family in Mexico for Christmas, my perspective shifted even more,\u201d Blue said. \u201cTheir home didn\u2019t have a secure roof or heating, the walls were bare concrete, and broken glass lined the wall that surrounded their house. Seeing that firsthand made me realize I wanted to use engineering not just as a career, but as a way to create lasting change for families like mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blue was one of 40 students nationwide selected to attend the ASTM Eisenman Materials Camp, which solidified his desire to pursue engineering. Eventually, Blue shared, he would like to start his own firm to help provide better living conditions for families in need.<\/p>\n

Now a freshman entering UToledo for the first time this fall, Blue said he is eager to engage in UToledo student life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m excited to be part of such a strong engineering program and take advantage of the opportunities that come with it but also to enjoy the college experience,\u201d Blue said. \u201cI\u2019m looking forward to football games, campus events, Halloween activities and the chance to really connect with people through student organizations. College is about growth but it\u2019s also about experiences, and I\u2019m excited for both.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"Portrait<\/a>

Tyreese Blue II is pursuing a degree in construction engineering technology with aspirations of building lasting structures for families in need, like his own growing up.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":914,"featured_media":94541,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50,34,1,71,7],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94540"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/914"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94540"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94540\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":94553,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94540\/revisions\/94553"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/94541"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}