Moments after she was named the Boys & Girls Club of Lynn Youth of the Year, Ruby Contreras was asked if her stepbrother, Jadiel Baez, the 2023 honoree, helped her prepare for the interview with the panel of judges who made the selection.

“I actually helped him prepare last year,” Contreras said. 

You have to think that kind of confidence served her well as she answered questions and made her case to the judges Wednesday night at the club.

Now consider Contreras is not yet in high school, attending the eighth-grade Discovery Academy at Lynn Tech, and you can see what made her stand out among the four nominees, all of whom have won a Youth of the Month Award.

“We can see future leaders in all of you,” said Katherine Castro-Eardley, one of the judges. 

Contreras is well on her way to making an impact in the city and beyond. A lifelong Lynn resident, she is the secretary of the Keystone Club, a leadership group at the Boys & Girls Club that focused on community service, career development, service to the club and college readiness, according to Brian Therrien, executive director.

“We volunteer a lot and try to be better people,” Contreras said of Keystone. “We go to My Brother’s Table and make sandwiches and we clean up the city.”

Contreras is also involved in the club’s association with Gordon College, in which club members visit Gordon and Gordon students come to Lynn, the goal being to help the club members better connect with their community. She participated in the Counselor in Training program, helping younger club members with reading and their homework.

“I want to be a good role model to children,” she said.

Contreras, who has been a member of the Boys & Girls Club since 2020, admitted to being “a little nervous, but always confident” going before the judges.

“I knew I came to make a statement,” she said.

And what would that be?

“I want to help kids who don’t have a voice. I want to make them feel comfortable,” she said.

At Tech, Contreras is a member of the Leadership Club and a basketball cheerleader. 

Contreras called her mother, Merita Contreras, “the main character in my life,” and also credited her stepfather, Manuel Baez, and stepsister, Olga Baez, with being very supportive. 

And, of course, her stepbrother, who no longer has Boys & Girls Club bragging rights all to himself.

The other three nominees were Divine Egbuta, a Lynn Classical freshman and Keystone Club member; Amy Huynh, a Lynn Tech sophomore and the Keystone Club recorder; and Bryce, a high school sophomore and My Brother’s Table volunteer.

In addition to Castro-Eardley, the judges were Erin Muschette, a board member and former Youth of the Year, Stephen Hirsch, board member, and Ismael Diaz Mateo, a Tufts University senior and former Youth of the Year, who went on to win the state competition and receive a $20,000 scholarship from the Kraft Family Foundation.

“We are proud of Ruby and all of the nominees,” Therrien said. “They represent the best of the best at our club and serve as positive role models for all members, especially the younger ones. We look forward to Ruby moving on and representing us in the state competition.”