Student from Westhill High School Given Opportunity of a Lifetime

April 25, 2011 - PRLog -- People to People Ambassador Programs, the world leader in global educational travel experiences, announced today the presentation of the 2010 Student Ambassador of the Year Award to Patricia Ochonski, a senior from Westhill High School. Ochonski was selected for her leadership qualities and exemplary participation in the People to People Student Ambassador Programs. As part of the award, she has been given full tuition and airfare toward the 2011 travel experience of her choice.

Ochonski won the award based on a People to People Ambassador program leader’s recommendation and an extensive review of her leadership ability and commitment to community service, along with a 1,000-word personal essay she wrote describing how participation in the program changed her life.

In the summer of 2010, Ochonski traveled as a People to People Student Ambassador on the South African Adventure program (http://www.peopletopeople.com/TravelExperience/Pages/Students-South-African-Adventure-SAA-2011.aspx), where she and other high school students from around the world experienced life-changing adventures throughout South Africa, including a safari in Kruger National Park.

In Ochonski’s personal essay, she wrote about her most memorable and life-changing event on the trip in South Africa, which was working in the Etafeni Daycare Center and being able to interact with the adults and children there. From that experience, Ochonski learned that people across the world are very similar, even when their standards of living vary greatly. She wrote of that moment, “My experience proves that as Americans we are privileged to live in such a comfortable society. Most of the population has actual homes to live in, not shacks made from scrap pieces of tin. But we must not forget that those people [in South Africa] are no different from ourselves.”

“Patricia’s remarks about her discovery in South Africa embrace the essence of that program,” says Peg Thomas, president of People to People Ambassador Programs, “and we appreciate having the opportunity to share in her profound discovery, as well as awarding her with the Student Ambassador of the Year Award.”

For more information about the People to People Ambassador Programs or for a full list of winners of the 2010 Student Ambassador of the Year Award, visit http://www.peopletopeople.com/OurPrograms/SAP/Pages/Stude....

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About People to People Ambassador Programs
People to People Ambassador Programs is the world’s most recognized and respected educational travel provider. Since the 1960s, more than 500,000 people from around the world have traveled with People to People Ambassador Programs to help further global understanding through cross-cultural exchange. Offering unmatched safety measures and unparalleled access to foreign cultures and countries, People to People Ambassador Programs promotes personal success in a globalized world and fosters international friendships for both students and professional adults. For more information, please visit http://www.peopletopeople.com.

About Ambassadors Group
Ambassadors Group Inc.  is a socially conscious, education company headquartered in Spokane, WA. Ambassadors Group is the parent company of Ambassador Programs Inc. Additional information about Ambassadors Group and its subsidiaries is available at http://www.ambassadorsgroup.com.