Arabella Gipp Named 2025 Lawrence Youth of the Year
LAWRENCE, Kan. – On a rainy Thursday night at the Lied Center of Kansas, Arabella Gipp, who credits the Boys & Girls Club with shaping her into the person she is today, stood out through her own hard work and dedication to earn the title of 2025 Lawrence Youth of the Year. This marked her third time winning the title during her high school career.
Presented by Mid America Bank for the seventh-consecutive year, Youth of the Year is the premier recognition program for more than 4,000 Boys & Girls Clubs across the country. In order to earn a Youth of the Year nomination, high school students must embody the values of leadership service, academic excellence and healthy lifestyles.
BGCLK celebrated five candidates at the annual event. Leah Anderson (Sophomore, FSHS), Julia Johnson (Sophomore, FSHS), Abby Benally (Sophomore, FSHS), Alex Johnson (Junior, FSHS) and Gipp were each nominated by their Club mentors to vie for the top honor a Club kid can receive. All five delivered passionate speeches about their own experiences and adversity, creating another memorable event for the friends and family in attendance. The event was emceed by Trei Wells, the 2012 National Youth of the Year, and Zion Bowlin, the 2017 Lawrence Youth of the Year. Both Wells and Bowlin served as mentors for the candidates this year.
“Hearing their personal stories about overcoming adversity was inspiring,” said Laci Maltbie, CEO. “Their resilience shows that with the right resources and support, they can be anything they want to be! Our future is in good hands with Arabella, Alex, Julia, Abby and Leah.”
The five candidates held hands on stage before the winner was called, a testament to the friendships that have formed over this four-month process. After her name was called, Gipp hugged her fellow candidates and gave an emotional thank you to all those that helped her reach this goal. Gipp spoke about how grateful she was for the mentors that helped guide and shape her into the person she is today.
“It’s never easy,” Gipp said of her third time taking the Lawrence Youth of the Year stage. “Every year I’m still just as nervous and shaking, but it’s special every time. Getting to represent the Club I grew up in and made me who I am, and to have the opportunity to do it not just once, but three times, is something so incredible.”
The daughter of Jessica Gipp, Gipp is a senior at Lawrence High School. She is an active member of her school’s journalism and video programs, and she also finds time to serve as a leader in the Keystone Club. She plans to attend Johnson County Community College to study Graphic Design and ultimately pursue a career in digital media.
In her speech, Gipp discussed how she found her identity through consistent support and community at the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence. She reflected on her time from kindergarten through her senior year of high school, emphasizing how the Club served as a constant and safe environment where she could grow, explore her interests, and face intense personal challenges.
Alex Johnson delivered a powerful call to action in his speech, urging empathy, courage, and active engagement in mental health advocacy. He emphasized that while the journey might be difficult, no one should face it alone, highlighting the power of community support in navigating life’s challenges. This was his second time taking the stage, showing his personal growth from last year.
Also taking the stage for the second time this year, Benally spoke about her personal journey through self-discovery. She detailed how the Boys & Girls Club has been important in her development, helping her build confidence and authenticity in herself. She hopes to continue to work with her fellow Club members to encourage their own self-expression.
Julia Johnson, the sister of Alex and a first-time Youth of the Year candidate, focused on the importance of mental health, advocating for regular mental health check-ins for both children and adults. She opened up about the challenges she faced as a young girl coping with the passing of her father, and shared her hope to inspire change in how the world views mental health issues.
Anderson, another first-time candidate, advocated for the empowerment of young women in this generation, stressing the importance of strong voices in inspiring others. She spoke about how the Club helped her open up and find friendships after feeling isolated due to her mother and newborn sister facing health issues at the time.
To make a special night even more perfect, the finalists for this year’s Junior Youth of the Year, Grace Goodison and Aiden Kong, took the stage one last time to deliver their speeches and find out the winner.
Kong, a fifth-grader at Sunflower Elementary, ultimately took home the title with his speech, which focused on the support of his mentors as he faced racism as a Korean-American, and ultimately, how proud he is to be exactly the person he is
Goodison, a fifth-grader at Quail Run Elementary and the runner-up for Junior Youth of the Year, walked us through her childhood with the Club, recounting positive memories such as the annual Lights On! dance competition where her team placed first in 2023.
Needless to say, when it came time to select the winner, the judges had a difficult task at hand. During the afternoon, the panel (Cori Wallace, Stephenie Smith, Randy Glidewell, Al Hack, Thomas Murray, Emily Peterson and Harry Herington) interviewed each candidate and gave their application packets a complete scoring review. The speeches given during the evening’s program accounted for the final piece of the puzzle. After a tough round of deliberations, Gipp came through with the highest score.
When offering advice to future candidates, Gipp kept it simple and sincere. “Have fun. A lot of the time I was really stressed about it, but being able to do it with some of my best friends made it fun,” she advised. “And just be yourself. You’re not going to get anywhere by acting — just be true to who you are, and that’s really all that matters.”
Gipp will now go on to represent Lawrence in the state competition in March. State winners advance to regional competitions; regional winners advance to the National Youth of the Year event. Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence has produced the Kansas Youth of the Year in six of the last 12 years, most recently being Gipp herself in 2022.
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The mission of the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence is to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. For more information on the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence, visit www.bgclk.org.