08/31/2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 31, 2026
MEDIA CONTACT: Zachary Appleby, 717-783-8800 or [email protected]
PennDOT, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Announce 30 ‘Young Ambassadors’ to Promote Environmental Sustainability in Pennsylvania
The Young Ambassadors program is designed to cultivate the leadership of young community stewards, offering hands-on experience as they champion and advocate for clean and beautiful communities across Pennsylvania.
Harrisburg, PA – Today, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful (KPB) announced the 2026-2027 cohort of Young Ambassadors of Pennsylvania. From September through May 2027, Ambassadors will develop civic leadership skills and gain hands-on experience as they champion and advocate for clean and beautiful communities across Pennsylvania.
Now in its fifth year, the Young Ambassadors program is designed to cultivate the passion and leadership of young community stewards. Ambassadors are provided with access to essential resources, empowering them to promote and pursue a shared vision of a clean and beautiful Pennsylvania within their own communities.
“Across the Commonwealth, PennDOT and our partners are working diligently to prevent the long-term environmental damage caused by litter,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “We’re excited to partner with our most creative and passionate young leaders to clean up Pennsylvania’s environmental 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.
"As the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Young Ambassador Program enters its fifth year, we celebrate the outstanding young leaders who are helping build a brighter future for Pennsylvania. Their creativity, commitment, and determination to make a positive impact inspire us year after year. We are proud to champion and invest in these emerging environmental and community leaders as they work to strengthen and beautify their communities,” said Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Executive Director Shannon Reiter.
2026-2027 Young Ambassadors of PA:
• Brady Franklin, 11th grade, Mt. Lebanon High School, Allegheny County
• Sydney Morrissey, 10th grade, PACyber, Allegheny County
• Brock Wharton, 10th grade, Cambria Heights High School, Cambria County
• Shannon Evans, 12th grade, Unionville High School, Chester County
• Nick Michel, 11th grade, The Episcopal Academy, Chester County
• Nathaniel Gushurst, 12th grade, Unionville High School, Chester County
• Claire Mullen, 10th grade, Downingtown STEM Academy, Chester County
• Atharv Rajesh, 11th grade, Downingtown STEM Academy, Chester County
• Gian Gokul, 11th grade, Great Valley High School, Chester County
• Abhinav Naregal, 10th grade, Cumberland Valley High School, Cumberland County
• Ranhitha Laxmaiahgari, 11th grade, Cumberland Valley High School, Cumberland County
• Tanush Vanamala, 11th grade, Cumberland Valley High School, Cumberland County
• Amrutha Davuluri, 12th grade, Cumberland Valley High School, Cumberland County
• Zephaniah Weaver, 11th grade, Halifax Area High School, Dauphin County
• Nadia, Dougherty, 12th grade, Radnor High School, Delaware County
• Ameya Singh, 11th grade, Garnet Valley High School, Delaware County
• Aneesha Chennareddy, 11th grade, Garnet Valley High School, Delaware County
• Barrett Slye, 10th grade, Malvern Prep, Delaware County
• K. Gabler, 12th grade, Saint Marys Area High School, Elk County
• Lilly Bernstein, 10th grade, Fairview High School, Erie County
• Nyakia Dit, 12th grade, William Allen, Lehigh County
• Saraih Garcia, 12th grade, Reach Cyber Charter School, Luzerne County
• Brooke Serfass, 11th grade, Pleasant Valley High School, Monroe County
• Srijani Saha, 12th grade, North Penn High School, Montgomery County
• Ari Goldin, 10th grade, Abington Senior High School, Montgomery County
• YuMi Murphy, 10th grade, Abington Senior High School, Montgomery County
• Sayna Shah, 10th grade, William Penn Charter School, Montgomery County
• JoEllen Jones, 12th grade, Forest City Regional High School, Susquehanna County
• Eliana Lothian, 11th grade, Honesdale High School, Wayne County
• Emeline Strautin, 10th grade, Central York High School, York County
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 and Dow. 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 and the Young Ambassadors, visit the program page or contact Kylie McCutcheon at [email protected].
PennDOT provides many additional litter cleanup volunteer opportunities, including Adopt-A-Highway, Sponsor-A-Highway and more. Learn more on the Roadside Beautification webpage.
Travelers can check conditions on major roads by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,200 traffic cameras. 511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional X alerts.
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