Announcing Our 2017 Youth Ambassadors

Amizade is delighted to announce our 2017 ambassadors for the Youth Ambassadors Program with South America! 12 high school students and 2 adult mentors were selected from Western PA and West Virginia to travel to 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 different neighborhoods and different schools from Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Let us introduce you to our fabulous ambassadors and mentors! (in order of photos, left to right starting from the top):

Youth Ambassadors selected:

• Amila Niksic, Barack Obama Academy of International Studies (9th), Pittsburgh, PA
• Brayden Mara, Cambria Heights (11th), Dysart, PA
• Ashton Orner, Quiet Creek Farm/ Conserve School (10th), Brookville, PA
• Aya Obeid, Mount Lebanon High School (11th), Pittsburgh, PA
• Danielle Miller, Morgantown High School (11th), Morgantown, WV
• Abbigail Davis, Morgantown High School (11th), Morgantown, WV
• Naijah Simon, Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School (10th), Pittsburgh, PA
• Sreeja Gangineni, South Fayette High School (11th), Bridgeville, PA
• Colin Jakiel, Moon Area High School (11th), Moon Township, PA
• Jacob Taucher Karpinski, Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy (10th), Crafton Heights, PA
• Christian Sablak, Mount Lebanon High School (11th), Pittsburgh, PA
• Serena Zets, Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School (11th),  Pittsburgh, PA

Adult Mentors selected:

• Gale McGloin, nonprofit management and development consultant
• Zach Grewe, University of Pittsburgh, Coro Fellow