Youth of the Year

The Northeast Exchange Club Youth of the Year Program recognizes outstanding young leaders in the community. Each candidate is responsible for writing and preparing an essay on the topic "Investigating the possibilities: Making the Community a better place to live." Our Youth of the Year is James (Jake) Q. Stevens IV '15, student at Shorecrest Preparatory School.

Stevens writes that in his own community "there are big problems to solve." Through the hours he spent volunteering for various projects and causes over the past six years, he learned about childhood hunger, the need for equal access to education for all children, and the responsibility of using and conserving the earth's resources, just to name a few. He says he spent too much time looking at the problems and thinking about them. They seemed "overwhelming and insurmountable" to him.

Jake has been fortunate to attend Shorecrest Prep School for the past 12 years, where he was introduced to the concept of serving others early due to his mom serving as Director of Service Learning for the school for nearly a decade. With an ongoing partnership with The Kind Mouse founder Gina Wilkins, helping her feed hungry children in St. Petersburg, he leaves for college knowing that his school's commitment to helping reduce childhood hunger will continue next year and beyond. 

Without question, Jake says his most outstanding accomplishment to date has been his Early Action Acceptance into MIT for the class of 2019. It was always his dream, and it has come true! He is also the current President of Shorecrest's Excel Club.

Outstanding student! Congratulations! Jake was awarded a $500 gift card to aid in his school expenses.