Katherine "Katie" Wilton has been selected as the Boys and Girls Clubs of America's Pacific Region Military Youth of the Year awardee.

By winning, she received a $40,000 check to be used toward college.  

This past March, the Joint Base Lewis-McChord youth was also named the Washington State Military Youth of the Year and was awarded a $5,000 check.

"It's been surreal; I didn't think I would get this far," Wilton said.

"My mindset was that I would do this for the experience; I wanted to learn more, and if I lost, it would not be the end of the world."

A senior at Harrison Preparatory School in Lakewood, Wilton is a member of JBLM's Hillside Youth Center's affiliated Boys and Girls Club.  

As the Pacific Region's winner, she will serve as an ambassador by attending Boys and Girls Club of America events and mentoring next year's Youth of the Year competitors.

Wilton is the daughter of Lt. Col. (Dr.) Nouansy Wilton, who serves at the Madigan Army Medical Center, and Dr. Jonathon Wilton, a family physician in Olympia.

"Katie is well-spoken, focused and fun," Katya Miltimore, executive director, Boys and Girls Clubs of Washington, wrote in an email. "I love her passion for gardening and bee-keeping; two aspects which show how well-rounded she is."

Miltimore pointed out that the club's value to military children is the supportive adult mentoring that occurs.

"We believe (mentoring) is especially important to those military kids whose one or both parents may be absent due to deployment," she continued.

This theme drives the youth center at JBLM.

"We put a lot of time and energy into creating quality programs, and both students and staff benefit from these wonderful curriculums," Kristiane Byers, facility director, Hillside Youth Center, wrote in an email.

The center has over 500 registered participants.

While it provides youth with opportunities for fun and relaxation after school, the center addresses its three priority outcomes -- academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy choices.

"The organization's drive to help youth is empowering for youth who never thought they had the opportunity, talent or resources to succeed," continued Wilton.

"The military provides a lot for us to make our lives better; you just have to go out and find it."

Wilton next travels to Washington, DC this fall to compete in the national competition.

For more information about the Boys and Girls Club at JBLM, call 253.967.4441.