Phoenix Youth Ambassadors Visit International Sister Cities

June 12, 2001

More than 30 Phoenix high school students will serve as youth ambassadors and travel to Phoenix's sister cities through a summer student exchange program.

The students depart the week last week in June and will live with a host family in their designated sister cities for approximately three weeks. The Phoenix youth then reciprocate and house their host family's son or daughter when they arrive in Phoenix in late July and stay through mid-August.

The program, sponsored by the Phoenix Sister Cities Commission, allows young people from around the world to learn about and experience each other's culture. The students were selected on the basis of their communication skills, maturity, flexibility, leadership and self-confidence. More than 300 Phoenix students have participated in the youth ambassador exchange program since it began in 1988.

Traveling to Catania, Italy, are Sean Nabar, Shadow Mountain High School; and Maria Urtubey North Canyon High School.

Visiting Chengdu, China, are Mollie Epstein, Caitlin Burns and Kari Lipman, Arcadia High School; and Mariam Raheel, Shadow Mountain High School.

Students hosted in Ennis, Ireland, include Todd Hoover and Kathryn Kaiser, Horizon High School; Stephanie Sherman, Arcadia High School; and Lucy Weflen, St. Mary's High School.

Sister city Grenoble, France will host Sabina Satpathi, Horizon High School; Kirsten Jarvis and Megan Rampton, Arcadia High School; and Alexies Norville, Thunderbird High School.

Traveling to Hermosillo, Mexico, are Jonathan Jardin, and Melissa Jirauch, Arcadia High School; Sydney Tolchinsky, Deer Valley High School; Maria Hernandez, North High School; and Alycynn King, Shadow Mountain High School.

Visiting Himeji, Japan, are Betsy Richards, Central High School; Kellan McNamara, Xavier High School; Nathan Augustin, Greenway High School; Keith Arnold, Sunnyslope High School; Josie Nelson, Arcadia High School; and Amy Zimmerman, Cortez High School. Prague, Czech Republic, will host Elyse Klein and Mandy Royse, North High School; and Marley Kornreich, Chaparral High School.

Visiting Taipei, Taiwan, are Dustin Van Loenen, Brophy College Preparatory; Ashley Garrard, Shadow Mountain High School; Rachel Koch, Paradise Valley High School; and Harry Hazell, Humanities & Science Institute.

For more information about the Youth Ambassador Exchange Program or the Phoenix Sister Cities Commission, call 602-534-3751.

Media Contact:

Jane Poston Jennifer Snyder

602-534-6648 602-534-7359