Nadiuscha's Story

Stories : Nadiuscha

Nadiuschas

KEYSTONE MEMBER and 2020 YOUTH OF THE YEAR NOMINEE "The Boys & Girls Club has become a second home for me."

My first Club experience was at age 6. I was nervous, scared, and shy to meet new people. One day a staff member shook my hand and introduced himself. That’s when I responded with “My real name is Nadiushca but everyone calls me Nana.” This is where I began to meet new friends; and started to get more comfortable with myself and others around me. This is where my Boys & Girls Club journey began. At the age of 10 I broke my hand and it required me to get a cast. This made me not want to go to the Club- I was afraid some of the kids would make fun of me for having a cast. Couple weeks passed by and my mother encouraged me to go down to the Club because she was sure that the kids would want to sign it. I hesitated to go in and eventually turned around. One of my closest friends grabbed me by the cast and spun me around. She pulled out a sharpie and wrote her name on it, she looked up after writing her name and pulled me into the Club. Each one of the kids were so excited to write their names and so one by one they walked up and signed my cast. This was the day I met my best friend- the Club gave me an opportunity to feel welcomed and loved. As the years go on, I was a young confident woman who felt like I could accomplish anything. On December 26th, 2012, my cousin passed away from a deadly sickness, I stopped coming to the Club and lost all confidence in myself. My best friend who I met at the Club was the shoulder I was able to cry on, she was a big supporter for me during that time and I’m very grateful for her. There are times till this day where we sit down in the Club and talk about our life situations. The Club has given us a second home where we can vent our feelings. Entering High School I thought it would be like High School Musical but it wasn’t. I was getting into fights and trouble; I was hanging with the wrong people. Freshman year was a tough year but it taught me to never be a follower. After school ended the day of my last fight, I went to the Club and my cousin introduced me to mentors that are still in my life to this day. That Tuesday night is when I officially joined Keystone. Keystone is my family, each and every single one of these teens helped shape me into the young lady I am today. Freshman and sophomore year, Keystone kept me confident and pushed me out of my comfort zone. Now I’m able to go out and talk to new people and experience new things. At the Keystone Regional Conference in Stamford CT, I was able to go on stage and answer questions and that was something I was never able to do growing up because of stage fright. I was able to meet people from other places and was able to communicate with them without being shy. The Boys & Girls Club has been a second home for me. It’s the place where I’ve built confidence, built relationships, and built a better life for myself. Throughout my life I’ve been through the ups and downs, happy and sad moments, and moments where I have achieved my greatest goals. The Boys & Girls Club is truly an amazing place for kids no matter the age. You will overcome your fears and possibly meet your lifelong friends, as you grow up you may hit some bumps but that’s okay, you won’t ever be alone during any life situation you may encounter.