LAWRENCE, KS (KCTV) -
A Lawrence teenager returned home Thursday afternoon to a hero's welcome. Trei Dudley was just named the Boys and Girls Club of America's national Youth of the Year.
When 18-year-old Dudley left family and friends behind to head to Washington, she didn't know she would come back a national winner. Dudley was chosen among 4,000 applicants to become the regional winner of the Boys and Girls Club Youth of the Year award. Then, after narrowing it down to five contestants, she was selected Tuesday as the national winner.
"It's so amazing, an absolutely amazing feeling, I don't know any other way to explain it," Dudley said.
Dudley recalls a challenging childhood. After leaving a domestic violence situation, her mother became a single parent raising four children.
"Me having two jobs, trying to provide, she stepped up to the plate. She became a role model, put meals together for her younger brother and sister, made sure they did their homework," said Dudley's mother, Kathy Brittain.
It was in the fifth grade that Dudley found a place to release her anxieties, her fears and her dreams. She found the Boys and Girls Club at her Lawrence elementary school. Jen Williams was her mentor.
"Trei and I have a lot in common. I would tell her, ‘I've been there. Here's what I would do instead,'" Williams said.
The University of Arkansas student received $50,000 in scholarships, a new car, a laptop and iPhone and will serve as the national spokesperson for the 4 million children who utilize the Boys and Girls Club.
Mentors of the Boys and Girls Club include a long list of celebrity alumni. Dudley had the chance to meet and talk with them at the awards ceremony.
"We got to meet Denzel Washington, Ashanti and Michael Phelps so that was really cool," she said.
"I always knew Trei was a special child. She had a sparkle in her eye. I knew she was going to be amazing. She knows how it feels to have those struggles in life and she wants to empower other young girls," her mom said.
Dudley said she wants to start her own non-profit organization helping teens.
Click here to read about the city's send-off for Dudley.
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