Teen Actor Jacob Spotlights Military Kids & Mental Health

I belong to two close-knit communities: kids with parents in the military and kids who love the arts. You may think there’s not much overlap, but for me, these two worlds collide at the Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay Teen Center in Georgia.

Here, I found mentors, followed my passions, and used the arts to empower my peers also growing up in military families. Little did I know, these efforts would lead me to become one of the youngest national spokespeople for kids in military families through Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

It’s a role I don’t take lightly, and my journey to get here started with my own family’s history of serving our country.

My Mom, Grandma ‘Becka & Me

My father is a U.S. Army veteran who lives with PTSD and mental illness. When I was younger, he fell into addiction and criminal activity, resulting in a 10-year incarceration. Afterwards, my nineteen-year-old mother and I moved back to live with my grandmother.

Growing up, these women were my anchors. Grandma ‘Becka was my primary caretaker while my mom went to college and worked two jobs. Eventually, she began her career in Child & Youth Programs. It was through her work at Naval Air Station Jacksonville that we learned about Boys & Girls Club-affiliated Youth Centers for military families. I joined in kindergarten, attending daily after school until my mom got a job as Youth Program Director for School Age Care at the Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay Teen Program, another BGCA-affiliated Youth Center.

At first, I worried about not fitting in with the other teens. Most were proud of their parents’ heroic service, but for me, it was hard to share the difficult story of my father’s mental illness and its impact on my family. In his absence, my mother had assumed the roles of both parents while I took on more household responsibilities to help lighten the load.

For a long time, all I wanted was for others to see me as happy and helpful. My emotional release came through the arts, specifically acting, both at my performing arts school and at the Kings Bay Teen Center.

How Theatre Taught Me Empathy

Since my fourth-grade production of High School Musical, I knew I wanted to be an actor. Acting gave me a safe space to explore emotions I had a hard time expressing elsewhere. Instead of letting anger or sadness consume me at school, I embrace them on stage, leaving me better able to process my feelings afterwards.

My mom and Grandma ‘Becka have always supported my acting, but at the Kings Bay Teen Center, I found a village who believed in me. What’s more, my mentor, Ms. Maria, helped me discover one of my greatest roles yet: teen mental health advocate.

My Mental Health Advocacy: Healing Through the Arts

Denzel Washington once said that he became Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s national spokesperson because it was a role he “didn’t have to act.” That’s what being a youth mental health advocate feels like for me — natural and meaningful.

I first got the opportunity through BGCA’s Think, Learn, Create Change (TLC) program at the Kings Bay Teen Center. Last year, we secured a $25,000 grant from Family Dollar to expand mental health resources for Kings Bay teens.

Seeking mental health support can be daunting for young people, especially in the military community. We wanted to show teens that mental health isn’t something to fear — so we threw a block party at the Kings Bay Teen Center!

Kids played games, enjoyed food and talked to mental health advisors. Parents also came, leaving with more knowledge on how to support teen mental health.

Our TLC group even traveled to Washington D.C. for a national youth advocacy contest at BGCA’s Summit for America’s Youth. There, we presented our project to members of the U.S. Congress. Out of all the Boys & Girls Clubs competing, we were the only one from a military installation, coming in second place and earning a $2,500 grant to continue our advocacy back home.

This year, our TLC project is very close to my heart: self-expression and healing through the arts! Like mental health, people can view the arts negatively. But in my experience, the arts aren’t just for fun; they’re a way to process emotions and find a supportive community.

To show a positive link between the two, my peers and I organized a new art experience every month at the Teen Center. We encouraged painting, drawing, theater, dance, filmmaking, and so much more; winning second place again in BGCA’s Summit for America’s Youth advocacy contest.

At the Kings Bay Teen Center, I learned to embrace my military story. I now speak up about my father’s mental health challenges, striving to raise awareness about mental health services for military families and children.

Becoming a Voice for Military Kids

My Teen Center mentor Ms. Maria has opened so many doors for me — attending BGCA’s National Keystone Conference for teens, advocating for teen mental health to Congress, and participating in the Youth of the Year teen leadership program.

A former regional Youth of the Year herself, Ms. Maria introduced me to the chance of representing all Boys & Girls Club kids on and off military installations a few years ago.

As the 2025-2026 National Military Youth of the Year, I want to inspire young people to break free from boxes others try to put us in. I’ve met many kids from military families who are expected to go into service. While this is an honorable career path, I want them to know that it’s ok to explore their own passions, particularly through the arts.

A career in the arts may not be for everyone, but we all deserve the opportunity to be creative, express ourselves and find a supportive community. Through [BGCA], I met my acting idol, Club alum Corbin Bleu! One day, I aspire to be that inspiration for future young men in the arts.

Embracing My Untraditional Story

Meeting other military teens through the Youth of the Year Program showed me that not everyone has a “traditional military story.”

For me, the Kings Bay Teen Center has been a place to have fun and make friends. But for hundreds of thousands of kids with parents in the U.S. Armed Services, more than 450 of these Youth Centers provide a stable second home outside of school.

My relationship with my father is still a challenge, but I am comforted knowing that his service gave me something great — a military community. While all our stories differ, each one matters. We’re all here, we’re all connected, and we all want to make the world a better place.