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| People to People Ambassador Programs today announced the
names of four exceptional students chosen for “Ambassador of the
Year” scholarships. The organization, founded by President
Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956, chooses two high school and two
junior high or grade school students annually who have
demonstrated their understanding of the program’s mission of
fostering peace through understanding during their travels on
one of People to People’s many overseas programs. This year’s
winners submitted essays on “People to People” moments arising
from interaction with people they met on their journeys, or
moments of self-growth that came about as a result of being
chosen as a Student Ambassador. This year’s winners were chosen from intense competition for these coveted scholarships. Each of the winning essays evoked the qualities of increased awareness People to People Ambassador Programs hopes these educational journeys will inspire. Brandon Badillo, 14, of Willis, TX wrote of how his People to People experience in Japan helped him to cope with the sudden death of his father three days after his return. Megan Hunt, 17, of Ravenswood, WV, told how a chance encounter with a 93-year-old Hungarian great-grandmother helped her realize what a difference a single individual can make in another person’s life. Mikayla Gallenberger, 12, of Kewaunee, WI, a self-described “smarty pants”, discovered that connecting “People to People” starts with the people around you. And Ben Brockman, 16, of Warminster, PA, organized a drive to send nearly 3,500 pounds of supplies to a struggling school in Fiji, an experience that made him feel “as though I had become a new person.” Each year, People to People sends over 40,000 fifth through twelfth grade students to 34 countries around the world on educational journeys of cultural understanding and personal growth. People to People Ambassadors are chosen for their commitment to and understanding of President Eisenhower’s vision and their roles in helping to foster world peace. Each year, thousands compete for the honor of being chosen Ambassador of the Year for their age group and an all-expenses paid chance to travel again with People to People. “We are very pleased to present these scholarships to these four fine young people,” says Jeff Thomas, CEO of People to People Ambassador Programs. “They embody perfectly the ideals set forth by President Eisenhower over fifty years ago. We know that it is students like them who will carry the program forward another fifty years.” |
