Announcing Our 2016 Youth Ambassadors

Amizade is delighted to announce our 2016 youth finalists for the Youth Ambassadors Program with South America! 12 high school sophomores and juniors and 2 adult mentors were selected from Western PA and West Virginia to travel to Bolivia and Peru this summer for three weeks to learn about leadership, community service, environmental sustainability, and social entrepreneurship. Following the summer exchange, each Youth Ambassador will identify an issue affecting their home community, design a project to address that issue, and work throughout the semester to complete their Community Action Projects. While the travel portion of the program is especially exciting, the Community Action Projects are a great opportunity for the team to bring home some of the lessons they have learned and ideas they have seen to help share their experience with their communities.  

This dynamic group represents 11 different neighborhoods, 9 different schools, and 2 states. Let us introduce you to our fabulous ambassadors and mentors! (in order of photos, left to right starting from the top):

• Christina White, Morgantown High School, Morgantown, WV
• Daejean Collins, Cornell High School, Coraopolis, PA
• Autumn Baker, University High School, Morgantown, WV  
• Dean Garland, City Charter High School, Pittsburgh, PA
• Zachary McAlexander, Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy, Pittsburgh, PA
• Michael Dunn, Shaler Area High School, Shaler Township, PA
• Jazmine Singleton, Morgantown High School, Morgantown, WV  
• Madison Augustine, Cambria Heights High School, Patton, PA
• Nicholas Naumov, Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy, Pittsburgh, PA
• Teona Collier, Pittsburgh CAPA 6-12, Pittsburgh, PA
• Sead Niksic, Barack Obama Academy of International Studies, Pittsburgh, PA
• Jaylin Ciccone, Cornell High School, Coraopolis, PA
• Robert Burack, adult mentor, Coro Fellow at BNY Mellon

Check back on the blog for updates on the Youth Ambassador travels and community projects!

The Youth Ambassadors Program with South America (YAPSA) is a program of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, administered by Amizade. For more information about this program, click here.