The Young Ambassadors program, now in its fourth year, is an initiative designed to cultivate the passion and leadership of young community stewards.
By providing access to essential resources, the program empowers these ambassadors to actively promote a shared vision of a clean and beautiful Pennsylvania within their own communities.
From September through May 2026, Ambassadors will develop civic leadership skills and gain hands-on experience as they champion and advocate for clean and beautiful communities across Pennsylvania.
“Restoring and preventing environmental damage means making sure our future leaders have the ecological know-how to make sustainable change happen,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “Youth across the state are more engaged in this fight than ever before. With the fourth year of the Young Ambassadors program underway, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful and PennDOT are helping plant the seeds for a cleaner future.”
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful will award two $1000 scholarships -- one to a current senior in the Young Ambassadors program and one to an alum of the program.
"We’re excited to kick off the fourth year of the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Young Ambassador Program! Each year, these amazing young leaders bring fresh ideas and real energy to our communities. We continue to be inspired by the passion, creativity, and leadership they demonstrate. We’re proud to support this next generation of changemakers," said Shannon Reiter, President, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.
2025-2026 Young Ambassadors of PA--
Laila King, 12th grade, Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School, Allegheny County
Vidhi Patel, 12th grade, Bensalem High School, Bucks County
Nitasha Sharma, 12th grade, Bensalem High School, Bucks County
Lily Crowley, 12th grade, Knoch High School, Butler County
Avi Gairola, 12th grade, Conestoga High School, Chester County
Lily Greenwood, 12th grade, Bayard Rustin High School, Chester County
Ryan McLoughlin, 11th grade, Octorara Area Jr./Sr. High School, Chester County
Arohi Nepal, 12th grade, Conestoga High School, Chester County
Connor Thompson, 12th grade, DuBois Area Senior High School, Clearfield County
Leah Heisler, 10th grade, Cedar Cliff High School, Cumberland County
Twisha Vanamala, 11th grade, Cumberland Valley High School, Cumberland County
Claire Walker, 11th grade, Hershey High School, Dauphin County
Evangelia Eliades, 12th grade, Penn Wood High School, Delaware County
Mariya Hoja, 10th grade, Fairview High School, Erie County
Chloe Smith, 10th grade, Fairview High School, Erie County
Logan Thompson, 10th grade, Fairview High School, Erie County
Laurel Lindey, 11th grade, Brownsville Area High School, Fayette County
Quinn Coulter, 10th grade, Waynesboro Area Senior High School, Franklin County
Ojas Batheja, 12th grade, Parkland High School, Lehigh County
Arun Ghanta, 10th grade, Spring-Ford High School, Montgomery County
Max LaBarbera, 12th grade, Spring-Ford Senior High School, Montgomery County
Gabby Moor, 10th grade, Abington Senior High School, Montgomery County
Willie Waerig, 12th grade, Plymouth Whitemarsh High School, Montgomery County
Madeline White, 12th grade, Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School, Montgomery County
Nathaniel Carso, 11th grade, Delaware Valley High School, Pike County
Colin McGinley, 11th grade, Pottsville Area High School, Schuylkill County
Maddie Skinkis, 11th grade, California Area High School, Washington County
Ryana Zhelezov, 11th grade, Dallastown Area High School, York County
Click Here to meet the 2025-26 ambassadors.
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful will provide education and training to program participants on topics related to the impacts of litter, litter prevention, waste management and recycling, civic engagement and related public policy, volunteer management, and social media marketing.
Ambassadors will have an opportunity to apply for job shadowing with Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania funded by the NiSource Charitable Foundation. Selected students will spend the day in the field with sustainability professionals.
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful will provide a stipend to participants to support time and travel expenses.
For more information about the program, visit the Young Ambassadors of Pennsylvania webpage or contact Kylie McCutcheon at kmccutcheon@keeppabeautiful.org.
The Young Ambassador program was recommended in the Pennsylvania’s Litter Action Plan, announced in 2021 in response to a 2019 Pennsylvania Litter Research Study, which found Pennsylvania has more than 500 million pieces of litter on its roadways.
The action plan includes strategies for all Pennsylvanians to fight litter in their communities.
PennDOT provides many additional litter cleanup volunteer opportunities, including Adopt-A-Highway, Litter Brigades, and more at the roadside beautification webpage.
Click Here for a copy of the PennDOT announcement.
For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful website. Click Here to sign up for regular updates from KPB, Like them on Facebook, Follow on Twitter, visit their YouTube Channel.
Keep PA Beautiful helps mobilize over 100,000 volunteers a year to pick up litter, clean up illegal dumping and beautify Pennsylvania.
Related Articles This Week:
-- PennDOT, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Announce 28 Student Young Ambassadors To Advance Pennsylvania’s Environmental Sustainability Efforts [PaEN]
-- Join The Keep PA Beautiful Pick Up Pennsylvania Fall Cleanup To Keep Litter From Reaching Our Waterways; Free Cleanup Supplies For Registered Events [PaEN]
-- Registration Open! PA Resources Council Electronics Waste Collection Events In Delaware, Montgomery Counties [PaEN]
[Posted: September 4, 2025] PA Environment Digest
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