ST. LUCIE COUNTY — When she was named Youth of the Year at Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County, Rebecca Jacques knew she would have to do a lot of public speaking. She just didn’t know her public appearances would include one in which she shared the stage with author and TV personality Dr. Mehmet Oz.

Earlier this spring, Rebecca’s busy speaking schedule took her to the St. Lucie Seafood Festival, which was being held on the grounds of the Port St. Lucie Civic Center on the same day that Dr. Oz, the well-known health guru, was appearing at the WPEC TV 25 Health Festival in the Civic Center. Dr. Oz invited her to come on stage and share her vision for America’s youth to live healthy lifestyles. She spoke to an audience of about 5,000.

Jacques is a success story, having grown from a child who was headed into trouble into a stellar student with a real future. She will graduate this year from Lincoln Park Academy with a 4.9 G.P.A, and will receive her associate’/s degree in Health Management from Indian River State College. She plans to attend Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University for her bachelor’s degree and then attend Florida State University for her master’s degree in health management.

The Youth of the Year program creates opportunities for Club youth to receive recognition at the local, state, regional and national levels. Local Club winners go on to compete at the state level and each year, five Regional Youths of the Year, along with the Military Youth of the Year, travel to Washington, D.C., to participate in a process that determines the National Youth of the Year.

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