Boys & Girls Club Member Becomes First In Family To Go To College
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - Graduation is right around the corner for high school students across the state. While many kids will prepare for college, one Boys & Girls Club member is preparing to be the first in her family to go to college.
Being in the Boettcher Branch of the Boys & Girls Club is like being in the middle of organized chaos. The air is charged with the energy of about 100 children ages 8 to 18. They're laughing and joking with their friends, and shuffling between the education center, the computer lab, the gym, and the commissary. At the heart of it all is Amber Corbett. The 18-year-old has been going to the club for 10 years.
"Every day you come here and the staff (is) always excited to see you," Corbett told CBS4.
Corbett has found mentors at the Boys & Girls Club and became a mentor herself. She participates in the club's Keystone Club, a leadership program for teens. And she coaches a basketball team for the younger girls.
"Basketball is my favorite sport now … my passion," Corbett said.
She learned to play sports at the clubs. She'd never played on a team before coming to the clubs. Now she's taking her basketball skills to college. She'll play on the team at Western State Colorado University in Gunnison.
"Just being able to say I'm going to college is a huge success in general," Corbett explained.
Amber will be the first in her family to go to college. Her family has always pushed her to get good grades, but she credits the Boys & Girls Club with making her a well-rounded person.
"They played such a huge roll with helping me apply to colleges, helping me figure out what I want to do in college, and where I want to go," Corbett said.
The club's emphasis on education, healthy lifestyles and good character are all messages that sunk in for Amber, allowing her to achieve her dream of going to college where she'll study recreation and outdoor education. Corbett also won a Daniels Fund Scholarship among other scholarships, which will pay for her entire higher education.
"Just being a role model for my family alone, and for many of the Boys & Girls Club members here is truly outstanding for me," Corbett said.
You can support the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver by buying a ticket in the Dream House Raffle. The deadline to buy tickets is May 16th. There are 1,100 prizes available, so your chances of winning are 1 in 50. This is a CBS4 Sponsored Event.
--Written for CBSDenver.com by Special Projects Producer Libby Smith
