HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania transportation and environmental groups have selected 30 high school students, including six from Chester County, for a nine-month leadership program aimed at expanding litter prevention and environmental stewardship efforts across the state.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful named the students to the 2026-27 Young Ambassadors of Pennsylvania cohort, which will run from September through May 2027.
Chester County has one of the largest contingents in the statewide group. The local participants are Shannon Evans and Nathaniel Gushurst, both 12th graders at Unionville High School; Nick Michel, an 11th grader at The Episcopal Academy; Claire Mullen, a 10th grader at Downingtown STEM Academy; Atharv Rajesh, an 11th grader at Downingtown STEM Academy; and Gian Gokul, an 11th grader at Great Valley High School.
Now in its fifth year, the program trains students in litter prevention, waste management and recycling, civic engagement, public policy, volunteer management and social media marketing. Participants are expected to apply that training to environmental and community projects in their home areas.
PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll described litter prevention as an effort to limit long-term environmental damage and framed student involvement as part of the state’s broader cleanup strategy.
“Across the Commonwealth, PennDOT and our partners are working diligently to prevent the long-term environmental damage caused by litter,” Carroll stated.
The 30 students represent schools in Allegheny, Cambria, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Elk, Erie, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Montgomery, Susquehanna, Wayne and York counties.
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful will also award two $1,000 scholarships, with one going to a current senior participating in the program and another to a program alumnus.
Participants will have an opportunity to apply for job-shadowing experiences with Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania. Selected students will work in the field with sustainability professionals through an initiative funded by the NiSource Charitable Foundation and Dow.
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful will provide participants with stipends to help cover time and travel expenses.
The Young Ambassadors initiative is designed to give students practical experience alongside its environmental curriculum, with participants developing civic leadership skills while working on issues affecting their communities.
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