Ta’Aliyah Sorrels, 17, a longtime member of Union League Boys & Girls Clubs’ Baretto Club in Humboldt Park, has been named the Union League Boys & Girls Clubs 2024 Youth of the Year, recognizing her academic performance and service to Club, community, and family.  Sorrels, a resident of Humboldt Park, will proudly represent the 105-year-old Union League Boys & Girls Clubs organization at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Illinois statewide competition to be held in April. The program was attended by hundreds of Union League Boys & Girls Clubs supporters at the Union League Club in downtown Chicago. Sorrels, a senior at Noble Golder College Prep in West Town, has been a Union League Boys & Girls Club member at Barreto Club for a decade.  Throughout her time in the Club, she actively participated in various activities such as science club, cooking class, SMART Girls, Khan Academy prep, Keystone Club, and the TLC (Think Learn Change) program, and enjoys hobbies including drawing, reading, and dancing.  Sorrels has developed a strong passion for youth mental health through her experience as a “Club kid” and aspires to obtain degrees in higher education and become a mental health therapist specializing in child psychology.

Photo Credit: Union League of Boys and Girls Clubs