Tamia Ricks' Journey from Club Kid to Club Manager
- BGC Metro Baltimore
- 29 minutes ago
- 3 min read
From curious Club kid to inspiring Club Manager at our Club at Brooklyn O'Malley, Tamia Ricks' story is proof of what can happen when passion meets opportunity. When Tamia first stepped through the doors of the Boys & Girls Club of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County (BGCAAC), Meade Village Club, at just eight years old, she couldn’t have imagined how much the Club would shape her future. That first summer, she and her cousins spent their days putting on a play of The Wiz and dancing to “Ease on Down the Road.” It was the start of something special.
“I went every summer and every school year after that,” she says. “Most of the kids from my neighborhood didn’t go, but I made lifelong friends there. They became my people.”
As she got older, Tamia became what she calls the “last one standing”—one of the few original members still coming to the Club. That shift opened the door to something new: leadership. She discovered a love for STEM mentoring, starting with Legos and eventually leading robotics activities. Even before she was officially on staff, she was trusted to guide younger members and run programs on her own.
“I remember in middle school, we got to take our robots to a high school competition,” she recalls. “It was such a big deal for us. Our director of Junior Staff told me that when I turned 16, I’d have a job waiting.”
That promise came true. At 16, she joined the team under the guidance of our current Director of Club Operations Nakita Clark, then with BGCAAC, who became a mentor and helped her see just how much she was capable of. That same year, she pushed herself even further by competing in Youth of the Year 2019.
“I prepared in two weeks after another candidate dropped out,” she says. “I had never written an essay like that or memorized a speech before. But it pushed me—it prepared me for college.”
She went on to win a computer through the competition and later used one of her Youth of the Year essays for her college applications. Upon high school graduation, she enrolled at Clark Atlanta University, majoring in Biology.
Even while pursuing her degree, she never lost touch with the Club. Each summer and school year, she found her way back—following Nakita to Boys & Girls of Metro Baltimore’s Westport Club for a summer, her junior year of college at a local Club in Atlanta, and later joining the team at our Brooklyn O’Malley Club.
Her leadership and dedication continued to grow, leading to a promotion to Lead Youth Development Coordinator and this school year, Club Manager at Brooklyn O’Malley.
Reflecting on her path, Tamia credits her mentors for shaping her journey.
“My mentor and former supervisor Kyra Nichols (immediate past Club Manager at Brooklyn O’Malley) helped me realize that I’ve been hand-in-hand with her in the success of the Club,” she says. “She coached me through everything, and I’m so grateful.”
Now, she’s focused on keeping the momentum going—and adding her own touch. “I want to pour myself back into the kids the way people poured into me,” she says. “Boys & Girls Clubs has given me everything. I just want to keep paying it forward.”
Today, Tamia’s favorite part of the job is seeing the spark she once had reflected in the kids she mentors—watching them grow in confidence and curiosity just like she did. For Tamia, coming full circle isn’t just about returning to where it all began—it’s about creating that same sense of belonging for the next generation.
When asked what she hopes kids feel when they walk through the Club doors for the first time, her answer comes without hesitation:
"This is home. I think back on how some of my colleagues are now godparents to each other’s children—that’s the kind of lifelong bond we built here. Even years later, it’s amazing to know those friendships started at the Club. That’s what I want for every kid who walks through our doors: to feel like they’re part of a family, to have fun, feel safe, and always want to come back.”