By: George Mingyi Wang
On January 19, 2026, the Youth Spotlight – Inaugural Greater Washington Outstanding Youth Awards Gala was held at Bender JCC in Rockville, Maryland. The event was organized by the Capital Youth Outreach Club (CYOC) and supported by many community and cultural organizations. It was a special celebration led by young people that brought together different cultures, languages, and generations.
Many distinguished guests attended the event, including Maryland Secretary of State Susan Lee, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, and Shen Xuesong, Minister-Counselor from the Chinese Embassy’s Office of Educational Affairs. Their presence showed strong support for youth leadership and community involvement. The gala was also supported by organizations such as So What Else, U.S.-China cultural and business associations, local Chinese schools, and youth groups from Korean, Vietnamese, and Indian communities. Together, these groups helped make the event a truly multicultural celebration.
As a volunteer, I was deeply involved in both the preparation and execution of the event. My main contributions focused on creative design and stage coordination.
Using my interest and experience in 3D printing, I designed and created small “CYOC” souvenir keychains. I combined technology with youth culture and included elements inspired by traditional Chinese blessing symbols. These keychains added a fun and warm touch to the formal awards ceremony and gave guests a meaningful souvenir to remember the event. It was exciting to see my technical skills used to support a real community activity.
The performances during the gala were colorful and diverse. The program included Chinese traditional music, group dances, string performances, choir singing, poetry recitations, and cultural performances from different ethnic groups. Korean drumming, Vietnamese dances, Indian Bhangra, and Chinese instruments such as the guzheng and pipa were all presented on the same stage. These performances showed how young people can celebrate creativity while honoring cultural traditions.
During the event, I had an very important responsibility coordinating the stage performance schedule and managing the order of the programs. I worked closely with Mrs. Qi, Mrs. Yu, and Jiajing, as well as performers and backstage staff, to make sure each group entered and exited the stage smoothly and on time. Managing transitions between many different performances required careful attention and teamwork. Even though we came from different age groups, we worked together toward the same goal and became true teammates behind the scenes.
At this event, I was honored to receive the Capital Youth Outreach Club Volunteer Service Gold Award for my continued participation in community service. At the end of the gala, I also participated to present a showcase of CYOC’s different clubs. This presentation summarized our activities over the past year and encouraged more students to get involved in service, leadership, and community projects.
Through my roles in creative design, stage coordination, and club presentation, I learned that a successful youth event depends not only on what happens on stage, but also on teamwork and responsibility behind the scenes. This experience helped me better understand leadership, cooperation across generations, and how young people can make a positive impact in their communities. I am very happy that the inaugural “Youth Spotlight -the Outstanding Youth Awards Gala” concluded successfully, and I am grateful to have been part of such a meaningful and inspiring event.
Website Editor: Sophie Xu
华府青年 CYOC 
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