The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful announced the 2023-24 cohort of Young Ambassadors of Pennsylvania on Oct. 18.

The program, administered by KPB, seeks to build community stewards and civic leaders by inspiring, engaging, and empowering young Pennsylvanians to keep their communities beautiful and become ambassadors for a shared vision of a clean and beautiful Pennsylvania.

Students applied to the program and were chosen through a competitive application process, and they have committed to eight months of service as an ambassador while representing and upholding the mission and values of KPB.

From October 2023 through May 2024, participants will develop civic leadership skills and experience to champion and advocate for clean and beautiful communities across Pennsylvania.

The 2023-24 Young Ambassadors from Parkland High School are:

• Eric Jin, 12th grade;

•Shaunak Neogi, 11th grade;

•Tushar Mehta, 10th grade; and

•Yasmell Gonzalez-Perez, 12th grade.

KPB will provide education and training to program participants on such 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.

The program will provide networking opportunities to not only build a sense of community within the program but also to promote the professional development of the individual students.

The Young Ambassador program was recommended in the commonwealth’s litter action plan, announced as part of the Litter Action Plan, announced by the Wolf administration 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 their roadside beautification Web page.

For more information about the program and the Young Ambassadors, visit the program page or contact Kylie McCutcheon at kmccutcheon@keeppabeautiful.org.