Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County alumna Leonela Tase Sueiro, 18, will compete for the National Boys & Girls Clubs of America Youth of the Year title at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, September 25. Leonela is one of six finalists from Boys & Girls Clubs across the nation competing for this prestigious honor. Becoming National Youth of the Year is an exciting and inspiring journey. Since 1947, Youth of the Year has been the premier recognition program of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America that fosters a new generation of leaders, fully prepared to live and lead in a diverse, global and integrated world economy. The program celebrates the extraordinary achievements of Club members throughout the United States. Over the decades, these outstanding teens have exemplified the Boys & Girls Clubs mission and are proof to the impact the Clubs make in transforming lives.  If Leonela is named National Youth of the Year, she will serve as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s official teen spokesperson for the next year, receive academic scholarships and have opportunities for life-changing experiences such as networking with celebrity alumni, securing internships with national partners, speaking at national conferences and meeting the country’s top leaders and elected officials. Leonela gradatued from Riverview High School this past May and is currently a freshman at The George Washington University pursuing a degree in psychology. She moved from Cuba to the United States with her family when she was 11 years old, which is when she found the Boys and Girls Clubs of Sarasota County.