“I’ve strengthened my social skills a lot. I’ve also learned how to have fun. I mean, I’ve had fun before. But I’ve never had this kind of fun where you play with other people.”
Sam chose to be featured with his laptop because he loves spending time on the computer and hopes to study Computer Science one day, focusing on hardware, software, or both.
13 years old Jack, Will & Rob Boys & Girls Club
Member for 1 year
Future Computer Scientist
What’s something you’re really proud of?
I’m really proud of like… I get a lot of people asking me to fix their computer. To them it feels like AHHHH, but it feels so simple to me and it makes me proud.
What have you learned at the Boys & Girls Club?
I’ve strengthened my social skills a lot. I used to be that one weird kid in the corner over there or something. I’ve also learned to have fun. I mean I’ve had fun before. But I’ve never had this kind of fun where you play with other people.
I’ve also learned to be a leader. It’s helped me a lot. I was one of the people who stepped up in the teen room.
What does the Boys & Girls Club mean to you?
It’s like a second home – a home away home. Kind of like school but that’s like half the home away from home. Or maybe a ¾ home away from home, depending on how you look at it. But this is like a full home away from home.
*Phone rings, Sam answers and says he has to call back*
Something to mention is that I help out at my church a lot. That was one of my friends. He just turned eight this month. I help him a lot. I can see like…he’s kind of like me when I was eight. And I wanted to teach him I guess and I also like making him feel happy. It makes me feel happy too.
Do you think that’s something that you’ve learned from the Boys & Girls Club?
Yes, definitely. I love making people happy. I would volunteer pretty much almost every hour because making someone happy is like the teeter totter of having responsibility and courage and trust over being the kid that sits on his phone in the corner or something.
So you’re running for Torch Club treasurer. Why do you want to be treasurer and what does the treasurer to?
The treasurer of Torch Club is basically the internet router of all the money. They select the budget for things you need. We run a snack shack to raise money. Even though it’s been closed for a few months, we get really high gains from that.
What is your favorite thing to do at the Club?
I like to get on the computer, talk to my friends, you know like normal stuff boys do (laughs). I sometimes do my homework here. Well actually most of the time. I mean I don’t have a lot of homework so I guess it’s all the time.
What’s something you’ve experienced at the Club that you wouldn’t have experience?
The massive field trips. Last year and this year, there’s NightScapes for 7th graders and up to do somewhat inter-Club things. Basically what it was is you get to take a field trip like it could be like a bowling ring, g six air park, it could be a community center, or heck, it could be a pool. It’s really fun because you get to meet some other people you wouldn’t normally meet. All the Nightscapes for 7th graders and up on Saturdays, they’re free, when otherwise you’d have to pay a lot.
If you could describe Boys & Girls Club in one word, what would it be?
Change. The reason because of that is because it’s a change. It’s a change from the normal school. You get to walk around, have freedom, a little bit more responsibility, and it’s a change also because—they have a Camas extended day in my district that you pay lots of money to get into, but here I like to think that you get the same or better quality here. And it’s like $25 to $5 per year. $25 per year. It’s crazy! It’s the change! Boys & Girls club is the change that’s helping America be a little more great.
How do you want to change the world?
One way I could change the world is by helping people get access to necessary things. I bet there’s like at least 100 students in my middle school that don’t know that this Boys & Girls Clubs exists. We need to give people the opportunity to access resources. Like free encyclopedias and research tools to people in Third World Countries. Give them hope.
Anything else you want to say or talk about?
My favorite color is blue. And I like hamburgers. If you see me, hand me a hamburger with extra pickles.
