Yawkey Club Youth of the Year
Katherine Monroig
Growing up with six siblings in a house where DSS social workers were frequent visitors, Kathey saw the impact a caring adult can have on the life of a child. More recently, when her entire family decided to move back to Puerto Rico, she had two options: move with her family or stay to become the first member in her immediate family to graduate from high school. Although a more challenging path, Kathey, now 18, decided to stay in Boston to help care for her ill grandmother and pursue her dream of college and a career in social work. She credits the Club for giving her the means to accomplish this.
“The Club has given me a lot of support, providing me with a place to be with friends and a rewarding job,” she explains. “As a result, I’ve begun to have a vision for myself which is to go to college and become a social worker.”
Club Director of Operations Peter Rosemond describes Kathey as an impressive young woman who “meets challenges and overcomes barriers daily.” In her Junior Staff position at the front desk, she is one of the first familiar faces children see when they walk in the Club. She also is the Treasurer for the teen leadership program, Keystone Club, and participates in College Club and Young Women’s Group in the Teen Center.
“There are many challenges in my neighborhood, and the Club has helped me overcome them,” Kathey says. “Fights happen often after school, and the Club gives me a safe place to be and productive things to do so I can have a better life.”