Editor’s note: To nominate a student for Youth Spotlight, email wvictora@nwfdailynews.com or call 315-4478.
When Chance June-Jamison Lollie heard he’d been nominated for the 2012 Youth of the Year for the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast, he didn’t expect to win.
In his 15 years, he hasn’t had a lot of experience with competing and coming out on top.
But judges liked Lollie, the oldest of six siblings, enough to select him for the honor.
And now the Choctawhatchee High School sophomore will add a couple of firsts to his list of life experiences. He will attend a conference this month in Fort Lauderdale for outstanding youth, and he will fly for the first time.
“I’ve never been on a plane before,” Lollie said.
At the conference he will vie for the youth of the year for Florida. If he wins, it will mean a trip to the White House and a college scholarship.
Lollie is involved in Junior ROTC and plans to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point after graduation.
He had to submit several essays for consideration for the competition, and was recognized for being a positive influence on his younger siblings. He also helps youth at the Boys and Girls Club after school.
“I just like helping out, to be honest,” he said. “I help because that’s how I was raised. My mom raised me to help whenever I could.”
