Myriam Rodriguez

2007 OVERALL
YOUTH OF THE YEAR

For Myriam, family is everything. She believes her siblings are her strength and inspiration to succeed in life. She does well in school to prove to her parents that the sacrifices they have made on her behalf have not been in vain. As the oldest child, she is committed to be a role model her younger siblings can emulate. And she has even gone so far as to help her family financially.

Opportunity. Like so many immigrants, that is what Myriam’s parents had in mind when they immigrated to the USA. Myriam has made it her mission to prove to her parents that they made the correct decision. She will be graduating from Carlsbad High School this year with Honors and a GPA above 3.65. She has challenged herself with Advanced Placement courses, plans to attend a four-year university, and involves herself in extracurricular school activities such as band and various clubs.

Things happen for a reason. In her younger years, Myriam was a Club member. She strayed a bit, and wound up in some trouble. “I was getting into trouble at school; I thought I was a tough girl that no one could mess with,” recalls Myriam. She was reintroduced to Boys & Girls Clubs of Carlsbad via our Gangbusters program. “The Club has changed my life for the better. I thank God every day for the Boys & Girls Club and the opportunities it has given me.”

The Club has become such a big part of Myriam’s life, that she’s a little fearful of leaving it to go to college. “I’m going to come back, though. I want to make a difference in the Club, just as the Club has made a difference in my life,” Myriam says. And we just bet she will, too. Congratulations, Myriam, for being named Boys & Girls Clubs of Carlsbad’s 2007 Youth of the Year!