Hundreds waited with bated breath as the Boys and Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties (BGCSDC)’s president Bill Sadlo stood before them at the Lee Wetherington Club’s Steak & Burger dinner event Feb. 3. After all six high school candidates had been introduced, Sadlo announced the BGCSDC’s 2023 Youth of the Year: twelfth-grader Nathan Widjaja.
“It was a surreal moment,” Widjaja said. “I still don’t have the words to describe it.”
Widjaja’s award came with a brand-new laptop from Coca Cola Florida and a $1200 academic scholarship through Titan IT Enterprises; beyond these prizes, however, he holds “so much gratitude for everything The Club has given, done, and made possible for me,” he said.
Inspired by his older brother, Pine View Class of 2020 alumnus Josh Widjaja, the younger Widjaja joined the BGCSDC the summer before his freshman year. Since then, he has been involved in a myriad of the opportunities the club has to offer, including their culinary program, STAR Leadership training, Youth Council, Advocacy 101, the Page and Messenger program, and the Perlman Price Young Entrepreneurs (PYE) program.
“Nathan is a wonderfully thoughtful and well-intentioned individual,” said Suriya Khong, Vice President of Teen Initiatives at the BGCSDC. “Everything that he has participated in, everything he does — he does it intentionally and gives it his all… Uniquely, within these programs, he takes all opportunities and elevates them to the next level to get the maximum capacity of what he’s learning and what he can output for those around him.”
Khong traveled to Washington, D.C. alongside Widjaja and twelfth-graders Gigi Gregory, Akiel Reyes, and Dani Itraish this past summer for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America’s National Youth Advocacy Days. It was there that Khong witnessed firsthand all the ways in which Widjaja has blossomed as a leader since he started his journey with the BGCSDC.
“In a space with a number of youth leaders, Nathan stands out,” she said. “His approach to leadership is his willingness to hear and listen to the opinions and perspectives of those around him. He’s not afraid to state his opinion, but he leads by being an active listener.”
BGCSDC Leadership Programs Specialist Libby Exline remembers closely interacting with Widjaja through both the Page and Messenger and STAR Leadership Training programs, respectively. Exline noted that although Widjaja is a natural-born leader, getting to see him grow in his voice and confidence “has been incredible… It’s what makes my job so special.”
Within STAR, Widjaja and his peers worked on addressing civic engagement and the lack of voter turnout in Sarasota County. They designed and carried out a one-day event called Power at the Polls, in which members of the Sarasota community were welcomed to learn more about local issues and then register or pre-register to vote; Widjaja “did an absolutely phenomenal job helping bring it together,” Exline said.
“We’re all super proud of him, here at The Club,” Exline said. “He has grabbed every opportunity he possibly could, and it speaks to his deserving of the title of Youth of the Year.”
Twelfth-grader Jacob Koshy first met Widjaja at Pine View, back when they were in second grade. Their friendship was cemented by the fact they both went to Kumon, and they’ve grown closer over the course of middle and high school; Koshy, too, is a member of the BGCSDC.
“I consider Nathan my family, like my brother,” Koshy said. “It’s amazing to see someone so talented at so many things… The Boys and Girls Club is what made both of us learn to make our voices heard. I’m so, so proud of him; we’ve grown together, in our own separate ways.”
Alongside twelfth-grader Daria Tiubin, Widjaja visited Port St. Lucie April 20 to April 22 to compete for the title of the 2023 Florida Youth of the Year. Although he didn’t win, he looks forward to carrying forward the countless lessons and opportunities the BGCSDC has afforded him.
“Nathan’s future is limitless. He’s going to be the one to define and shape it for himself. He has come into himself and is very reflective over who he wants to be and the impact he wants to have upon the world, and he may still be figuring that out, but I do know that I wouldn’t bet against him,” Khong said.