It's a scholarship so good that it has NBA superstar Dwyane Wade's stamp of approval!

Wade serves as a champion, supporter and spokesperson for the Marquette University and BGCA partnership that provides full-tuition scholarships for up to three Youth of the Year winners!

Moving into the third year of this partnership, Club members or alumni who have won Youth of the Year honors in 2009, 2010 or 2011 – or who win in 2012 – on the unit, organization, state, regional or national levels are eligible to apply for this elite scholarship. Each scholarship, valued at more than $31,000 per year, is renewable for up to four years provided the accepted student remains in good academic and disciplinary standing.

Interested students must meet Marquette’s admission requirements and complete both the Marquette admissions application and the Marquette/BGCA Youth of the Year scholarship application. Marquette’s regular admissions application deadline for the academic year beginning in fall 2012 is Dec. 1, 2011 but Club teens are encouraged to apply beyond the deadline. The scholarship application deadline is March 1, 2012. It is strongly recommended that both applications be submitted at the same time by or before Dec. 1. But even if you didn't make the deadline, continue to apply even up to mid-February for a chance.

Get more details from this fact sheet.

Here is a look at previous winners ... and just think ... your name could be here next year!

2011

Jessica Mader, a Youth of the Year winner from Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest Colorado in Steamboat Springs, Colo., was the most recent Marquette scholarship winner. Jessica, who attended Steamboat Springs High School, is in her first year at Marquette’s Helen Way Klingler College of Arts and Sciences. She worked for her local Boys & Girls Club before it even opened. She said the countless hours spent developing Club programming and working with children ages 6 to 18 will help her as she seeks a career in medicine. Of receiving her scholarship, Mader said, "The biggest challenge for me is no longer how I’m going to pay for school, but what I’m going to accomplish while I’m there."

2010

Ryan Allen – Enrolling in Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City 10 years ago, Allen says, was one of the best decisions of his life. Allen attributes much of his success in making the right choices to his Boys & Girls Club. As a younger member he joined Torch Club and then joined Keystone as a teenager, where he served as secretary for the group. For two years, Allen participated in the national African-American Male Teen Summit, a conference geared toward this population of Club members. Allen is pursuing a degree in business at Marquette.

Amaya Hamilton – Amaya is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in political science, with the goal of becoming a Foreign Service Officer. A graduate of Ramstein American High School (Germany), Hamilton excelled academically and socially. The oldest of three, she is the daughter of military parents; living as a military child forced her to face seven new schools, three new countries, two new languages and leaving behind the support and interaction with extended family back in the U.S. Hamilton was a Boys & Girls Club member on military bases for 11 years. 

Tamara Johnson – A pre-law major at Marquette, Tamara was a nine-year member of Pueblo of Pojoaque Boys & Girls Club (N.M.). One of Johnson’s biggest accomplishments related to the Club was being named the 2010-11 National Money Matters Ambassador for Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The Money Matters program promotes financial literacy among teens by building basic money management skills.