Diego Gao

Diego is 17 years old and a Grade 12 international student from China at South Kamloops Secondary School. Sponsored by the International Student Program Canada, Diego can often be found attending their outdoor events for international students and making new friends from different countries. He enjoys sampling restaurants around town (he is quite the foodie!) and recently, going to airsoft games. Diego plans to attend the University of Toronto where he will work towards his Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in Computer Sciences. He joined the Ambassador Program to meet new people, get more involved with the community and most importantly, step out of his comfort zone.

Naomi is 16 years old and a Grade 11 student at Sa-Hali Secondary School. She is honored to be sponsored by The Ruby Room and would like to thank them for supporting her in this amazing opportunity. She would also like to thank her family and teachers for being a support system for her through the past years. She would not be where she is today without all the people that have motivated her, taught her and inspired her through the most pivotal years of her life. Naomi recently left her 2 year job at Tim Hortons to pursue new interests. She has chosen to focus on her passions that include being a dedicated student as well as leader in her school community, volunteer at the Royal Inland Hospital and a committed candidate for the Kamloops Ambassador Society. Naomi enjoys spending time with her family, traveling and learning new skills. She wants to expand her involvement within her community through volunteerism and service. In the future, she hopes to pursue a career in healthcare or law, starting out at TRU and then continuing in the lower mainland. Naomi was excited to join the Kamloops Ambassador Society after reading about the opportunity while doing morning announcements for her school. She hopes to gain invaluable experiences, memories, and connections through the program. Her main goals as a candidate are to further improve herself, and to be involved in as much as she can in Kamloops!

Naomi Columbus

Tejay Pelasol

Tejay is delighted to be sponsored by Petland. Tejay is 17 years old and in Grade 12 at South Kamloops Secondary School. Within school he is recognized as an integral part of the yearbook team, of which he has been a part of for the last 3 years. This experience has provided him with great leadership and teamwork opportunities. Tejay is looking forward to discovering the different options available at university and post secondary education in the fields of photography, architecture, and physics, but is uncertain which path he will take. He aspires to attain a career related to one of those subjects. Tejay is well versed in the medium of photography and is often asked by teachers to assist other students who are learning this artform. He enjoys helping out students and the responsibility and he is a well-liked teacher’s assistant.  Tejay enjoys spending time outdoors taking photos, and learning and playing his bass guitar indoors. He likes collecting and reading books, as well as playing video games, and talking with friends.  Tejay joined the Kamloops Ambassador Program for a few reasons, the most important being hoping to grow and improve upon himself, while getting the opportunity to meet new faces and become well acquainted with our City. Coming out of this program, he hopes to gain and develop new skills, improve his public speaking and discover new insights about the community he calls home. 

Katelyn is 18 years old and in Grade 12 at Norkam Senior Secondary. Katelyn is sponsored by Freeze Athletics where she used to do cheerleading. She works as a lash tech and enjoys learning new things, going to the gym or other fitness classes, traveling the world, and experiencing the beautiful scenery of British Columbia through hiking. When Katelyn is not studying or going on adventures, you can find her spending quality time with her baby brother Jackson, sewing with her grandmother and hanging out with her friends. Katelyn has been accepted into Thompson Rivers University to start her Bachelor of Science in the fall. Katelyn hopes to get a job as an assayer or metallurgist at New Gold in the near future. One of Katelyn’s favorite things to learn in her free time is finance. Alongside her future job as an assayer or metallurgist, she hopes to have multiple streams of income through owning a business, real estate, stocks etc. During her four years of her undergraduate degree, Katelyn is intent on doing an exchange year in Spain so that she can continue to learn about other cultures and explore the world during university. Katelyn joined the Kamloops Ambassador Program to develop public speaking skills, learn more about the history of our city and what it has to offer, as well as to become a role model and positive influence for youth in our community.

Katelyn Girouard

Cadence Bertrand

Cadence is 15 years old and is in Grade 10 at Kamloops School of the Arts. Cadence picked Notre Dame Tire as her sponsor because she knows them personally and can vouch for what a great business they are, and how much they do for the community. Cadence was a part of the leadership class at her school and realized how much she loved volunteering in our City! She’s been involved in volunteer activities such as building the 2023 Christmas parade float and baking sugar cookies with younger grades. Cadence has a passion for dance as she does it every week and works harder each day to improve her dance numbers for her team’s upcoming showcase in June. Outside of school, Cadence enjoys developing her sewing skills while also journaling about her life. After graduation, she aims to travel to Germany and go into the medical field, pursuing dermatology and later traveling the world herself to experience new cultures and environments. Cadence joined the Kamloops Ambassador program because she loves planning and setting up events and would like to further improve her public speaking skills as she knows she will utilize them later in life.

Danica is 16 years old and attends Norkam Senior Secondary in Grade 11. In her down time, Danica can be found curled up, reading her favourite book, or painting a beautiful landscape. During summer months, she enjoys longboarding and listening to music while out on a camping trip with her family.  She also enjoys playing different types of video games – an activity she can enjoy all year round! Once she graduates, Danica plans on enrolling at TRU in the Engineering Design course, but still wishes to pursue her dreams of acting.  She will always continue to audition for parts in local productions. With support from her sponsor Westsyde Dental Care, Danica joined the Kamloops Ambassador program in hopes to better her public speaking skills, gain more confidence and to become more connected to the community and its people.

Danica Meecham

Rasiq Dewan

Rasiq is 17 years old and in Grade 11 at Sa-Hali Secondary School. When he’s not serving up Blizzards at his part-time job at Dairy Queen, he can be found volunteering at various cultural and social events in the community. He has also volunteered extensively at the Royal Inland Hospital and serves on the Kamloops Junior City Council. In his free time, Rasiq is either setting new bench press PRs, strumming away on his guitar or diving into captivating books. With a passion for technology, he aims to pursue a career in software engineering, specializing in AI and robotics. Rasiq joined the Kamloops Ambassador Program to further develop his skills in public speaking and volunteerism, as well as help the community in positive ways. As a lifelong automotive enthusiast, he is thrilled to announce River City Nissan as his sponsor!

Mi’Kayla is proud to represent Gemstone Care Center. Mi’Kayla is 17 years old and is in Grade 11 at South Kamloops Secondary School. Having lost her mom in 2020, Mi’Kayla does her best every day to make her mom proud; all of her daily decisions are made with her mom in mind. Mi’Kayla is a part of the yearbook team at SKSS and is the head photographer for sports and for any music or art events. She enjoys curling, football, photography, art, choir, and animals. She likes to spend her time with family and friends, at the curling rink, the library, the art gallery, and loves anything to do with horses! Mi’Kayla volunteers at the Kamloops Lighthouse Christian Fellowship as a Sunday school teacher and also runs the sound boards and projector. Mi’Kayla’s future goal is to become an English or Art secondary school teacher.  She would like to attend either TRU or UBCO.  Traveling the world with a few of her close friends, having a family and becoming a professional curler are also on her list of to do’s. Mi’Kayla joined the Kamloops Ambassador program for many reasons, but her main one being her mom always wanted to see her as one of the Kamloops Ambassadors. She also wanted to step out of her comfort zone, to experience new things and become a better version of herself.  

Mi’Kayla Olexson Scholpp

Ava-Veronica Ast

Ava-Veronica is 15 years old and is in Grade 10 at Sa-Hali Secondary. Ava is sponsored by Red Wing shoes. She volunteers as an Usher for the Western Canada Theatre. Ava enjoys spending her time within the world of the performing arts, as she is a passionate and an avid participant and attendee of local theatre productions, as well as school theatre productions. Ava would love to become a professional actress in her future, and to attend university for sports massage therapy. Besides her schooling and her theatre-related activities, Ava can be found enveloped in a good book, working on one of her various writing pieces, spending time with her friends, going on walks, and taking in the sights of Kamloops. In her future, Ava hopes to travel abroad to see different cultures and the beauties of the world. Ava joined the Kamloops Ambassador Program to learn more about the City of Kamloops, make new friends, and develop her confidence. Ava would like to thank her family and friends for their love and support with helping her reach her goals throughout her life.

Alya is a 16-year-old, Grade 11 student in the French immersion program at South Kamloops Secondary School. She is an active member of the Kamloops Dramatic Art scene, whether that be in productions with Western Canada Theatre and various theatre companies, co-teaching a spring break acting class, or performing her original spoken word pieces at events for the Kamloops Art Council. When she’s not busy preparing for a show, Alya loves hanging out with friends, playing field hockey, volunteering as an usher at WCT, and watching movies! She is also a member of the Kamloops Junior City Government Council, her school’s Principal Council, and she runs the SKSS GSA club. Last year, Alya had the amazing experience of studying abroad in Belgium for three months. She hopes to continue her academic career studying linguistics in that very country. Alya joined the program to learn about all the amazing opportunities within our city, meet new people, and learn new skills. A fun fact about her is that she once co-ran a sticker and decal business with a friend, which makes the fact that she is sponsored by Visual Signs & Printing all the more fitting! 

Alya Van Laer

Ruthvik Goddendla

Ruthvik is 15 years old and currently attends Grade 11 at Sa-Hali Secondary. Ruthvik volunteers at the Royal Inland Hospital two days a week. He is a founding member of the Green Club at Sa-Hali, which picks up trash around the school and the surrounding neighborhood. He also peer tutors in Math after school every Wednesday. Ruthvik’s hobbies include going to the gym, reading books, watching his favorite shows, and spending time with his friends and family. In the future, Ruthvik plans to pursue the sciences to become either a pharmacist or pharmacologist. Ruthvik joined the Kamloops Ambassador Program to develop better public speaking skills, become more involved in the community and meet new people. Ruthvik is proud to be sponsored by Kyngdom Barbers, an amazing barbershop in Valleyview, that is great supporter of our community!

Ashleen is in Grade 11 at St Ann’s Academy. She is 16 years old. Ashleen’s hobbies include going on hikes, dancing, and skiing in the winter. In her spare time, she likes to go shopping with her mom and sister, go out to eat at restaurants, and likes to spend her time with her grandparents. Through the Kamloops Ambassador program, Ashleen has volunteered at the Blazers game and the Father Daughter Ball, she has also done volunteering for school events such as the St. Ann’s Bazaar, senior girls basketball game, and helped at their school church. Ashleen’s future goals include attending university and wanting to pursue law, specifically corporate law or trust and estate law. She joined the Kamloops Ambassador program to develop new friendships, grow more confidence with her public speaking, build her network, and to learn and be more a part of her community.  Ashleen is sponsored by Be Our Guest Events & Decor.

Ashleen Lalli

Snow Aung

Snow would like to start by giving her sponsor a big thank you, because without them, she would never be confident enough to be standing where she is right now.  Snow is 18 years old and in Grade 12 at South Kamloops Senior Secondary.  She is a youth leader and one of the founders of Youth for Youth at Kamloops Immigrant Services…Snow’s sponsor.  Snow is very passionate about volunteering and has already logged over 180 hours from January 2023 until now!  She loves sports and is very athletic.  Snow has played field hockey and badminton, and is currently learning how to play tennis.  In her free time, she spends time on self-care.  Activities such as going to the gym, doing skin care, journaling and playing the guitar.  Snow’s future goal is to become an elementary school teacher because she loves little kids!  She has been accepted at TRU to start her Bachelor of Arts and then she will apply for the Bachelor of Education program.  Her childhood dream was to become a model, so she plans to model in her free time after high school.  Snow joined the Kamloops Ambassador program to learn new skills, get a chance to experience teamwork, to learn more about the city she lives in and to make some great friends along the way!

Lilyanna is a Grade 11 student at St. Ann’s Academy. She is 16 years old. Lilyanna’s hobbies include singing, listening to and performing music, and creating art. She sings in her school’s Jazz Choir and plays Tenor saxophone in the senior band. One of Lilyanna’s proudest accomplishments is being able to play as the only tenor saxophone in her band for the last 3 1/2 years. She hopes to continue with music as a career, as it is her passion. She hopes to play in an orchestra one day and she would also enjoy joining her family in the business of working on film sets. Lilyanna likes to help by volunteering around her community and has shown she enjoys doing good for others without expecting a reward.  She has spent countless hours at her school volunteering.  At orientation for new students, setting up the gym for activities at her school, helping at events like the Christmas Bazaar, and visiting Sacred Heart Cathedral to help feed the needy. Lilyanna joined the program to be able to help her community on an even bigger scale, learn many new skills from new experiences, and to make memories and meet new people. Lilyanna is sponsored by Tumbleweed Toys. 

Lilyanna Jewell

Ayaan Saad

Ayaan is 16 years old and is in Grade 10 at St. Ann’s Academy. Last year, he worked in the Canada Service Corps for the Lillooet Friendship Centre Society. Ayaan’s hobbies include soccer, golf, calisthenics, and hockey, which he started playing his first year, this year! He has a passion for mathematics as he’s taking Pre-Calculus 12 as his math course. He also enjoys aircrafts, specifically jets used by various armed forces, as well as deepening his knowledge about history and military technology. You can find Ayaan in his spare time refining his hockey and soccer skills, or playing video games. In the future, Ayaan plans to attend medical school abroad, and enter the field of medicine as a physician, following in the footsteps of his mother and other close relatives. Ayaan joined the program to build volunteer experience, form meaningful connections with the people of Kamloops, and take on a more active role in his community. His sponsor is Kristina Gifford, owner of Kipp Mallery Pharmacy.

Amarah attends South Kamloops Secondary School as a Grade 11 student. She is actively involved in sports such as basketball and rugby, and she also referees basketball games. Outside of sports, she volunteers with the Sunshine Club run within her school. Amarah has three siblings – an older brother and a younger sister. She will graduate high school in 2025 and will immediately go to university to later pursue a career as a dental hygienist. Amarah’s interests include sports, spending time outdoors and being with her family and friends.She joined the Kamloops Ambassadors program to positively impact her community and to learn more about the beautiful City of Kamloops. Through the program, Amarah hopes to gain valuable knowledge and form lasting friendships with fellow ambassadors. She would like to thank Clear Security for generously sponsoring her.

Amarah Mahal

Maximus Jewell

Maximus is a Grade 12 student at St. Ann’s Academy. He is 17 years old and has a part-time job at Canadian Tire. He works in the Hardware and Houseware department, tinting paint, helping stock items inside the store, and carrying out items to customers. He is a very active volunteer in many diverse areas. He volunteers at Sacred Heart Cathedral, serves at dinner nights at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and helps with the school retreat team. Maximus is very passionate about music and participates in the Jazz Choir and the Senior Band, playing the drums and many other percussion instruments. He also enjoys editing and filming videos for entertainment as well as using this skill for his future career in the film industry. His future goals are to attend TRU where he will acquire his Bachelor of Business and plans to attain a major in marketing. Maximus joined the program to learn more about Kamloops, understand a better way to communicate with others and experience the many activities and wonders throughout the City of Kamloops. Maximus’ sponsor is RJames WesternStar Freightliner. 

Kiara is 16 years old and attends Grade 11 at South Kamloops Secondary. Kiara is sponsored by FreshCo. Kiara tends to spend most of her time bugging her siblings and playing video games. Besides schooling and video games, Kiara can often be found playing the piano, taking walks with her animals and watching anime. Kiara would love to to be a dentist so she can fix smiles! She hopes to travel the world to see different cultures, histories and to learn different languages. Kiara joined the Kamloops Ambassador program to meet new people, get better at public speaking and to learn to be confident in herself. If Kiara could do anything in the world it would be putting smiles on people’s faces. The one goal she has for her future is to make the world a better place for the future generations. 

Kiara Arbouw