Want to give a kid $10,000?
That’s how much scholarship money Manhattan’s Taji Ameen might win in YM’s latest contest, “Last Boy Standing.”
Starting with the January issue, now on newsstands, Taji and 11 other guys will face a new challenge each month, like writing a love letter.
Readers vote for their faves online; each month, the guy with the fewest votes is eliminated, until there’s only one left next December.
At 14, Taji is not only the youngest contestant (the oldest is 20) but the only one from New York City – two reasons why he thinks you might want to vote for him, even though he says he’s not expecting to win because he’s “up against a lot of people who are like models.”
College may be four years away, but Taji thinks he wants to go to an arts college for photography or filmmaking. He also plays the flute and just tried out for the Fiorello La Guardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts.
Right now, though, skateboarding is his No. 1 hobby. He’s even sponsored by skate companies including Zoo York, Supreme and Rock Star Bearings.
“I haven’t gone on any big tours yet, but I do plan on it pretty soon,” says Taji, who skates in demos, performs tricks like ollying a “steep 10 stair” (jumping down 10 steps), in return for “free stuff.”
“Most skateboarders don’t really read YM because it’s pointed towards girls and the teenage pop people, so it’s kind of a funny magazine for me to be in,” he admits.
“But it’s a cool to be in a magazine, all your friends can see you and you can probably meet new people. Plus I thought it’d be really fun.”
Vote now at ym.com/lastboy.