Youth Ambassador Program
2024-2026 Youth Community Ambassadors
Amelia Sprano (2024-2026)
Maggie Simons (2024-2026)
Past Youth Community Ambassadors
Program Established (2017)
Audra White (2017-2018) - Virginia Tech
Charlie Jones (2018-2019) - James Madison University
Noah Willis (2019-2020) - Virginia Tech
COVID Vacancy (2020-2022)
Program Reinstated (2023)
Oscar Montgomery (2023-2024) - Stanford University
Anastasia Kapranos (2023-2024) - Roanoke College
As part of Downtown Wytheville’s mission, we aim to engage and empower the youth in our community and help reverse the perpetual “brain drain” facing rural areas by giving the youth a stake in the decision-making of our community. By giving students input in the direction of our hometown, it gives them pride in where they’re from and encourages them to continue effecting change in Wytheville after they graduate. Originally, this program selected one senior from George Wythe High School who served as a member of the Downtown Wytheville Board of Directors working on committees and pursuing youth projects. The inaugural holder of this office was Audra White, who is now an Architecture student at Virginia Tech, followed by Charlie Jones, who would later work for Downtown Wytheville as Assistant Director, then Noah Willis, an Animal Sciences student at Virginia Tech. Due to COVID-19 restrictions and virtual schooling, the program was paused during the pandemic and was subsequently reworked and reinstated in 2023 to bring on two ambassadors with staggered ages so projects can have continuity as individuals graduate. For the first year of this reinvented program, we had many great applicants and ultimately decided to pick two seniors: Oscar Montgomery and Anastasia Kapranos. The most recent Youth Ambassadors were Amelia Sprano and Maggie Simons.
Through specialized assignments and youth input, we can’t wait to see what direction they steer our organization and community!! You can read more about this program in this Fall 2023 blog post from our state partners at Virginia Main Street.
Are you interested in becoming the next Youth Ambassadors?
Downtown Wytheville is looking for high school students who care about this community and want to help shape its future. Youth Ambassadors serve as the voice of their generation, help plan projects and events, and learn how downtown development and local government really work.
This is a leadership role. We are looking for students who are curious, responsible, creative, and passionate about Wytheville. If you want to make a real impact, we encourage you to apply by April 27th, 2026.
By joining becoming Youth Ambassadors you will:
Bring the ideas and insight of George Wythe students into creating a community students feel proud to call home!!
Help create, design, plan, and implement events
Collaborate with students to create an event for George Wythe students
Innovate and design projects to make Downtown Wytheville a fun and interactive space (Greenspaces, restaurants, stores, music venues, artistic spaces, etc...)
Build positive relationships with board members, staff, community members, business owners, and fellow students
To be eligible to be a Youth Ambassador, you must be:
Rising Junior or Senior (Fall 2026), in good academic standing
Mentor successors
Attend board meetings
Lead volunteer efforts
Communicate with students