“The Y is like a big family. Everyone knows your name.” -Koriyah
Koriyah has been attending the William-Emslie Family YMCA’s afterschool program for many years. Now a student at one of Buffalo’s highest-ranked high schools, she continues to grow into a dependable, intelligent, and respectful young lady. Koriyah has taken on a leadership role in the Y’s afterschool program, and is a great role model for the younger children in the group. “I’m there to help,” she says. “Anything they need, I’m there for them.” Koriyah also volunteers to help with the YMCA’s youth basketball league, child watch program, and is an advocate for the William-Emslie Family YMCA’s Annual Campaign.
Koriyah says what she enjoys most about her time at the YMCA is spending time with other kids. “I like working with the younger kids. I’m very social but also shy at the same time, and the kids just accept you for who you are, so that’s nice.” Koriyah is also a member of the William-Emslie Family YMCA Teen Leaders Group, a program in which young people have the opportunity to meet new friends, learn new things, and engage in activities that help further develop their leadership skills. “We talk to each other. It’s almost like a children’s support group. We talk about problems or things on our mind, and then we all go down to the gym and play basketball together.”
Koriyah was recently named the William-Emslie Family YMCA’s ‘Youth of the Year’. It’s a special honor given to a young person who demonstrates extraordinary civic responsibility in the community. “It was really nerve-racking,” she says with a smile. Koriyah says she’s grateful for her experience at the YMCA. “It’s a very welcoming place. The Y is like a big family. Everyone knows your name.”
When Koriyah isn’t at the Y, she’s a busy high school student who participates in many different sports and extracurricular activities. She says she plans to study microbiology in college and hopes to one day become a veterinarian.