Alumni Spotlight: Armani Yett

From Club Member to Catalyst of Creativity and Connection

When you walk into a Boys & Girls Club in Cincinnati, you might not expect that one of the young faces you see today will one day circle back as a leader, a creator and an inspiration. But that’s exactly the journey of Armani Yett- someone whose path has taken him across cities, through triumphs and trials, and back to the community that gave him his first sense of belonging.

A Place That Felt Like Home

Armani’s story with Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Cincinnati began long before he knew what it meant to chart a future. Growing up surrounded daily by his grandmother’s household- four cousins, two siblings and young Armani all piled into a Ford Explorer- he spent countless hours with family. But summer days, when adults went to work and the house hummed with too much energy to be idle, brought a challenge in finding what to do with all that young potential.

Enter the Clubs, though Armani didn’t see it that way at first. “I didn’t want to go,” he remembers, confusing the Clubs with the local rec center. But persuaded by his mom, he showed up at the former James J. Espy Club in Lower Price Hill when he was nearly nine. Suddenly, he was in a world outside of family and school forging friendships, navigating new social dynamics, and discovering activities and experiences his home life alone couldn’t offer. Field trips to local waterparks and lakes in Indiana, afternoons with peers from different backgrounds and adults who cared enough to hold him accountable. The experience went beyond recreation to become formative for young Armani.

Learning Beyond the Classroom

Armani grew at the Club in both age and perspective. By 10, he was upstairs with the older kids learning to navigate personalities very different from his own. “I had to learn to respect others’ differences,” he says. These early experiences helped him connect with people of various cultures, interests and life stories- an ability that would later become central to his work with youth.

After the summer before high school, Armani’s Club attendance slowed. Many Clubs nationwide at that time faced a challenge with retention of teens. But even outside the Clubs, the foundation he built there carried him into opportunities that would change his trajectory.

Upward & Beyond

With encouragement from a school counselor, Armani applied for Upward Bound, a summer program focused on college readiness. Though intimidated at first, he was accepted, and that first summer away from home after his freshman year became a turning point. Living in a dorm on a local college campus, walking to classes and building lifelong friendships, Armani found his stride. He didn’t even mind spending his summer taking classes like calculus, because he felt like he belonged there.

The confidence and community he found in Upward Bound stayed with him throughout high school until he left to attend college at the University of Toledo, where he would return to the program as a student mentor and leader to give to others what was once given to him.

A Life of Creative Exploration and Resilience

After college, Armani’s path twisted through jobs, cities and passions. From education roles in Columbus to a move to Atlanta to pursue a music/ creative career, he embraced risk and reinvention. He discovered videography and storytelling, began honing his creative chops and leaned into roles that let him shape experiences for young people.

Yet his journey wasn’t without hardship. With his career not taking off in the way that he had hoped, and facing some financial hardships, Armani returned home to Cincinnati for a fresh start. He started his production company, Yetti Creative Studios, and invested in professional camera equipment. While arriving on location one day to meet a potential client, Armani was robbed of his camera equipment and shot in the leg, fracturing his femur. It was physically, emotionally and financially devastating for Armani. But while most would give up, Armani instead pivoted to find a way through the hardships, transforming his low point into a moment that deepened his resilience and faith.

Back Where It All Started and Where It Matters Most

In January 2025, Armani returned to BGCGC not as a member but as a Program Coordinator, celebrating one year in his role this month. He brings with him a lifetime of experience in empathy, creativity, cultural fluency and a commitment to meet young people where they are.

“I feel like I’m back to where I need to be,” Armani reflects. “Everything brought me to this moment. I’m grateful for this organization because it set me up to be prepared for life.”

A Message of Hope and Possibility

Armani’s journey reminds us that success is rarely linear. From the Club hallways of Lower Price Hill to dorm rooms, studios, fields of creative vision and back to youth work, Armani carries the belief that every young person deserves opportunities to belong, to explore and to rise.

His story is an invitation to see potential everywhere, even in life’s detours, and to know that sometimes coming back is the greatest step forward.