GRASS VALLEY, Calif. – Teens face numerous challenges, from hard-to-meet expectations at school to peer pressure, bullying and a lot of stress.
Six young women – each with their own accomplishments, challenges and stories – faced those issues and many others with friendship, hard work, resiliency and Bright Futures for Youth’s The Friendship Club, an after-school program that has helped shape their future.
The Friendship Club will celebrate and honor the soon-to-be high school graduates during the organization’s 25thannual Graduation and Scholarship Dinner 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 20 in the Bright Futures for Youth campus backyard in Grass Valley.
“These young women have overcome so many extraordinary issues, in addition to the already often-overwhelming experience of just being a teen, from the emotional challenges to the physical changes,” said Jennifer Singer, Executive Director of Bright Futures for Youth.
They are the latest group of young women to graduate from The Friendship Club, a 32-year-old program that has provided academic, emotional and social support to nearly 1,000 sixth- through 12th-grade girls during the past three decades, including more than 100 during the past school year.
The Friendship Club offers an after-school program, hands-on life-skills classes, in-person group meetings and get-togethers, and even college tours and summer camps. The program also provides a range of services, including healthy meals, nutrition and cooking classes, clothing and access to health care and counseling, if needed.
The Friendship Club also assists young women with college applications and financial assistance – and offers its own scholarships for graduates enrolled in college or career technical educational training. The scholarships are possible thanks in part to a generous investment by David and Barba Nurse to the organization’s endowment in the memory of their mothers and to encourage others to contribute to honor important women in their lives.
“The Friendship Club addresses so many of the needs that girls and young women face. Thanks to the generosity of our community and supporters, these graduates are stepping into a future full of new opportunities, meaningful careers and lasting success,” said Mark Heine, President of the Bright Futures for Youth Board of Directors.
The Friendship Club is one of three core programs of Bright Futures for Youth, an organization that serves several hundred young people every month. The nonprofit also includes the NEO Youth Center and SAFE, a program that assists youth experiencing homelessness in western Nevada County.
Whether attending college or trade school or entering the workforce, the Bright Futures for Youth program has helped pave the way for a stronger foundation – and future – for the graduates.
“Friendship Club graduates have learned the importance of community and leadership, and how to succeed,” Singer said. “They also know their own value, and what they offer the world. We are so proud of these young women.”
The 2026 Friendship Club graduating class are:
- Alexia (Nevada Union High School): An avid reader and writer, Alexia plans to attend Sierra College, pursue a master’s degree in library science and become a librarian.
- Aryanna (Nevada Union High School): Aryanna, who has perfect attendance in the program, plans to become a criminal justice attorney.
- Callie: (Nevada Union High School): Callie enjoys connecting with her friends and bringing her stories to life through vivid imagery and plans to pursue a career in cosmetology.
- Colleen (Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning): Colleen, who has volunteered to represent The Friendship Club at many events, plans to attend trade school and become a massage therapist.
- Nya (Bear River High School): Nya expresses herself through crafting, scrapbooking and flower bouquet making and plans to pursue a career in medical diagnostic sonography.
- Riley (Nevada Union High School): An accomplished musician and the Nevada Union band president and drum captain, Riley plans to attend Sierra College and become an anesthesiologist.
About Bright Futures for Youth
Bright Futures for Youth is a nonprofit committed to making a life-changing difference for children and young adults in Nevada County. Bright Futures for Youth – created by the merger of The Friendship Club and NEO Youth Center in 2020 – has three core programs: The Friendship Club, NEO and SAFE, which helps youth facing housing insecurity. Bright Futures for Youth programs connect youth to positive experiences, relationships and environments to build resiliency today and into the future. The original organization started in 1995. For more information, visit www.bffyouth.org or Facebook at Facebook.com/BrightFuturesforYouth.