Malachi Haynes grew up in a split household, but he said the one thing that was constant for him was the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Denver.
Now, the Aurora native will receive a $100,000 scholarship after the national Boys & Girls Clubs of America named him the 2018-2019 National Youth of the Year.
The organization presented Haynes a $25,000 college scholarship renewable for up to four years -- leading to a total of $100,000.
Haynes said his experience with the club made him the person he is today. He volunteers, has created a reading program for the kids in his neighborhood and graduated from George Washington High School's International Baccalaureate program.
The International Baccalaureate program, based in Switzerland, offers four educational programs to students in more than 140 countries.
The National Youth of the Year award also comes with a new car.
Haynes is now a freshman at Colorado State University, studying exercise and health science.
He said he plans to go to med school and continue giving back to the community he loves.
“I see a lot of people who can change the world within that community if they were given the right resources and the right opportunities,” he said.
