Ridgefield student named Division 5 Young Marine of the Year

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The Young Marines recently named Sgt. Major Tristan Begines, 17, of Vancouver, the Division 5 Young Marine of the Year on Jan. 9. Begines will represent Division 5 at the upcoming National Young Marine of the Year competition to earn the highest honor bestowed by the Young Marines organization.

Begines, a junior at Ridgefield High School, has served with the Lewis and Clark Young Marines for four years, a press release by the Young Marines stated. He credited the organization for his significant personal growth and leadership skill development.

“This program has done more for me than I could possibly say,” Begines said in the press release. “When I joined, I struggled significantly with social skills, specifically, conflict management and communication. This program has been a big influence on my ability to set goals and to work towards self-improvement.”

Young Marines has awarded Begines multiple awards for his achievements, including Junior Leadership School Honor Graduate, Junior Leadership School First Sergeant and the Senior Leadership School Graduate Bronze Presidential Award.

“Tristan is a proven leader and an exemplary Young Marine,” Young Marines CEO and national Executive Director Col. William P. Davis USMC (Retired) said in the press release. “He is an outstanding example and role model for his fellow Young Marines.”



Outside of the Young Marines, Begines enjoys outdoor activities, chess, cooking and practicing American Sign Language. In the future, Begines would like to study biology at Clark College, the press release stated.

The National Young Marine of the Year will be chosen at the 2025 Adult Leaders Conference, held in Dallas, Texas, in April. Begines will compete with six other division nominees across the United States for the Young Marine of the Year award.

According to a press release, the Young Marines is a national nonprofit youth education and service program that teaches boys and girls leadership, teamwork and self-discipline. The organization works to promote mental, moral and physical development so its members can live a healthy, drug-free lifestyle.

For more information about the Young Marines, visit YoungMarines.org.