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Hello everyone! My name is Alannah Bousquet I am 15 years old and I live in Gros Islet, St. Lucia. I currently attend St. Joseph’s Convent and will be entering Form 4 (Grade 10) in September. I like mostly all subjects but aside from Math and English, the Sciences and History hold special places in my heart. I am part of some school clubs including the Effective Speaking Club, Interact and STEC (the science, technology and environment club). I have many hobbies including reading, playing the violin and doing sports. Right now, (because it changes often!) my favourite book series is the “Inheritance Cycle” by Christopher Paolini however I am currently reading the “Hero and the Crown” by Robin McKinly. Other favourite authors of mine include Tamora Pierce and James Patterson. I also like some classics. In terms of sports, I played competitive tennis for around 12 years (representing St. Lucia in the sport a couple of times) and transitioned into running. Right now, I am learning and playing volleyball for my ‘summer sport’ and I am having a blast. I have been playing violin since I was 5 or 6 years old and have sat Grade 1 and Grade 2 ABRSM Exams (I unfortunately have not been able to do Grade 3 yet due to the pandemic). During the last year I also learned Python, html and css coding and it has joined my hobby list. I have also dappled in video editing. Food wise I like soups as well as fish and of course pizza. Local foods I like are souse, bouillon and fried plantain (I would consider these three my favourites!). I have 3 German Shepard Dogs (two adults and a puppy). I really enjoy helping others using the skills I have to assist them in any way I can. That’s a bit about me! I am very excited to learn about the cultures of other Caribbean islands and Chicago.

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Introduce yourself to the group in a paragraph! Please feel free to include pictures. You can begin posting my adding a new column and titling it with your name. Then, you can add additional posts to draft the paragraph and/or add additional pictures under the column.

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You can use the prompts below as guiding questions, but please feel free to add anything else you would like the group to know about you!

1. What is your name?

2. How old are you?

3. Where is your home? (For Chicago youths, this can be the neighborhood you live in. For Caribbean youths, this can be your city/country. Feel free to include pictures, maps, etc.)

4. Where do you attend school?

5. What are some of your hobbies?

6. What are some of your favorite foods?

7. Why did you want to participate in this program?

8. What are you looking forward to learning about Chicago or the Caribbean?

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Hello everyone, I'm Marc Worden, Program Assistant at WorldChicago. I am turning 21 in August and am a rising senior at Northwestern University, studying political science and international studies. I live in Evanston, Illinois currently but went to high school in Lakeville, Minnesota. I really love sports, having played American football, basketball, and golf in high school. Currently, I am president of Northwestern's Men's Rugby Club, and I have really fallen in love with the sport of rugby. Pizza is my favorite food and as such I must take a side...Giordano's is better than Lou Malnati's. I am looking forward to working with all of you and learning more about the different cultures and countries of the Caribbean!

Here is a picture of me on the rugby pitch in a tournament we hosted at Northwestern.

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Hello all, I'm Matthew Frazier, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to be a Caribbean Youth Ambassador. I enjoy actively researching business & financial news and analyzing how it affects markets and the U.S. economy. Furthermore, I plan to major in Finance and like teaching others about personal finance. Additionally, I published an Amazon Alexa Skill to teach people about money, golf with my family, and have been enjoying caddying for multiple years.

Thank you for reading, and below is a video of me golfing with my family!

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Hi! My name is Camila Moreno and I'm really glad I can partake in this Program. I am going to be a freshman this fall at Von Steuben High School. Throughout the years I have wanted to be an engineer, doctor, etc., and now I am really into fashion so I'd like to join the fashion industry when I grow up. I have played multiple sports like soccer and volleyball, but I am currently a dancer at Gus Giordano Dance school. I have been dancing my whole entire life and it's something I love. I started with dancing Joropo which is a type of dance we do in my country, Venezuela. I was born and raised in Venezuela until I was nine years old. I am really excited to meet more people and learn about other countries. See you soon!

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Hello everyone! My name is Samary Miller, and I'm thrilled to be a part of this incredible program. In November, I will be 17 years old, and this is my senior year of high school. I always wanted to be a doctor or a teacher when I was younger, but as I got older, I became more interested in Business Management because it provides the knowledge and skills for a variety of career paths and opportunities. Some of my hobbies or interest includes cooking, reading online books, listening to music, and talking with friends, but my favorite is definitely reading online books because they are so interesting and stimulates your imagination. Another thing I love is listening to music, and my favorite genres are R&B and Pop. I'm normally shy, but I'm hoping that by participating in the program, I'll be able to connect more. I hope to meet everyone and learn about different aspects of their culture as well as different things about them as the program progresses.

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howdyy everyone! My name is Jahnavi Tularam and I am a 15 years old. I am from a very beautiful  country Guyana (land of many water). September I will be placed in 10th grade at Annandale Secondary school. I really love sports, mostly a pro at cricket and basketball and I'm also a field events athlete for Guyana ( I was suppose to be representing Guyana since last year at ST Vincent but sadly covid 19 was in the way) I also love listening to music, Poetry, and lovee drinking tea ( I drink tea like three times a day). My favorite foods are fried rice, chicken curry, and provisions especially plantain. When I first read about the Youth Ambassador Program I said this is just what I need, to develop some new skills to help my country and most importantly my community (I'm very much well known in my community for helping out the homeless and teach little children  that do not afford to go school and I also want to start a community business so the homeless and poor can make money for their children safety and education and also trying to help the school dropouts to be independent and make their own money). Also very excited to meet new people, learn about their country's culture and hear new and bright ideas. I am looking forward to lean about the differences between the Caribbean Countries.

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My name is Nehal Wadhwani and I'm 15 years old. I am from St.Lucia , the helen of the west. I attend the St.Joseph's Convent Secondary School and I'll be entering form 5 (grade 11) (My last year!!). I absolutely adore science and related activities such as computer programming, robotics, environmental studies etc. I also am the President of my school's science, technology and environment club and won the National Science, Technology and Innovation student's award. I love reading books and helping others too. I am a member of Interact,the  Peer Helpers club, The Effective Speaking club and also a Student leader of my school and many more programs. As a hobbie , I play tennis. My favourite food is gulab jamun which is an indian sweet as well as  spicy noodles of any sort.

I wanted to participate in this program to interact with others,learn and experience new things and put my self out there as well as help others. I would love to learn about unique things about the rest of the Caribbean and chicago. Maybe even new recipes to try. I am very excited to be meeting you.

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Hey! I'm Chaya, born and raised in the most creative and colourful island, the twin island Trinidad and Tobago.  I'm 15 years old but my birthday is September 30th so finally turning 16 soon :). I attend Holy Name Convent, situated in the capital Port-of-Spain but I live in Arima. I love playing football I actually play for my school under 15 and under 20 team. I play tennis as well and I have some experience with volleyball, badminton and cricket, I used to do gymnastics, swimming and ballet when I was younger. I would love to be involved in more sports! I also sing. I sing with the Marionettes choir, I sing parang (usually sung around Christmas time) and even with my school choir. I have represented my school in Music festival, parang competitions and other things like funerals and masses. I actually had to sing in front of the Ambassador of France... in French in a mass! It was a really great experience. I do music theory (I'm in grade 4) and vocal training. I love carnival and taking part in our school activities, so much so, I made a carnival costume at home since we weren't able to have the festival this year. Soca is definitely one of my favourite music genres along with R&B, jazz and classical. I have a deep love for animals and would love to own an animal shelter one day. I love to stimulate my mind by learning history (my literal favourite subject in school), philosophy, religion or anything about motivation or life. Fun fact my name mean life/free spirited in Hebrew so I guess that explains. I was the head girl and valedictorian of my primary school and I often take up leadership roles in my classes and among my friends. I love speaking to people especially if its to give words of advice or encouragement. I love hiking, going to the beach, photography and exercising, it makes me energized to take on the day. My favourite food has to be oil down (a dish mainly with Breadfruit, dumplings and pigtail is optional). I joined this programs in hopes of making new friends and learning new skills in order to be an active citizen of my community. I can't wait to share my culture with everyone and learn about yours in return!

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Hello everyone! My name is Tahira White. I am 16 years old and I'm from the most beautiful island, Jamaica. I attend the Bishop Gibson High School for Girls and I will commence my final year this coming September. I do mostly science subjects because I love thinking outside the box. I am currently in the Key and Police Youth Clubs and I am the form captain of my homeroom. I love the responsibility because it gives me an opportunity to help my peers and teachers with whatever challenges they may have. In the future, I would love to become an Airline Pilot, or an Aeronautical Engineer or an Air Traffic Controller, just about anything that has to do with airplanes. I absolutely LOVE airplanes!
My hobbies include EATING, sleeping, reading(sometimes), feeding the animals that I have here at home(chickens, birds, rabbits, pigs, dogs), and doing French lessons on Duolingo(I also do it as a subject in school), but my absolute favourite thing to do is to listen to music in my free time. I love listening to music because it is fun, entertaining and relaxing. My favourite genres are Pop and Contemporary Worship(with my favourite musician/band being Hillsong United).
I am so excited that I am a Youth Ambassador because I have the most amazing opportunity to meet new friends and learn about the cultures/backgrounds of my peers, mentors, program directors and host families. See you all very soon!
Attached is a photo of me taken on a Sunday afternoon right after church and also one of my beautiful island :)

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Hello everyone! My name is Brooke Hayes and I am 16 years old. I am a rising junior at Kenwood Academy High School located in Hyde Park, Chicago. I´m so thankful to be  participating in this program and am excited to meet you all. Some of my hobbies include reading romance and drama novels, making jewelry, and photography. My interests change on a day to day basis, but I am currently fixated on psychology, interior design, and as of recently the fashion industry. My favorite food is sushi, and my top artists are Lana Del Rey, Doja Cat, and Harry styles.

I wanted to participate in this program because it will allow me to interact with other teens and learn about their unique cultures, perspectives, and experiences. Additionally, the exchange of enlightenment will be of benefit to both me and my future partner(s) and holds the potential to form lifelong friendships and takeaways.

See you soon! ;)

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Isn't Jamaica beautiful?

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Hi! My name is Umayr Koshul and I am 17 years old. I currently live in the Chicagoland area, however I have also spent 6 years of my life living in my home country, Pakistan. I currently attend Wheaton North High School, and will be a senior there this upcoming fall. Activities that I have participated in would include wrestling, having a part time job, and taking Turkish courses. I am tri-lingual, being able to fluently speak, read, and write English, Urdu, and Punjabi. Having the opportunity to live in Pakistan for 6 years of my life has truly opened up my eyes and taught me the importance of culture. I love learning new things, and rounding myself in as much information as possible. I am a huge supporter of having what is referred to as a "growth mindset". I cannot wait for the program to start, because meeting new people can open up more doors and help me as an individual to grow. I look forward to working with everybody!

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Hello everyone! My name is Nyima Riley and I attend Kenwood Academy High School in Chicago, IL. I am a 15 year old athlete and a top scholar, who dreams of one day having my own line of healthcare insurance for chiropractic care. I am so excited to be a part of such an informational and fun program. I am eager to acquire more details about different traditions, music, food, clothing, art etc. My grandmother was Belizean so I have been connected to some of my ethnic roots, but I’d love to know and relate to more people! I love Caribbean food and reggae music! Two of my favorite holiday foods are Panadas and Belizean (Caribbean) potato salad. I love to dance, cook and play basketball. I hope that everyone will be willing to share a piece of their culture to inform others.

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Me and my Grandmother❤️

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This picture has some Caribbean Potato Salad and plantains!

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This picture has the panadas🥰

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Hello! My name is Lorena Ramirez and I am 17 years old. I am going into my senior year at Von Steuben. Most of my time is spent playing video games as well as drawing, but I also really enjoy running and watching anime. In the future I’d love to work in the STEM field, more specifically in the computer science field! My favorite foods include pozole (traditional soup), ravioli and cheesecake! I am very lucky and excited to be participating in this program since I get to learn more about other cultures as well as express my own! I love how I’ll be able to talk directly from those in different places I’ve never been!

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Hey, greetings from ever magnificent Trinidad and Tobago. My name is Zwade Stewart, I'm a 16 yr old student of Fatima college. It will be a great pleasure to meet with you guys.
I'm a pretty active person, I partake in Track and field, Sea Scouts and Aviation Cadets. I also have a great passion for Music. By the end of this year, I would have been playing the saxophone for 10 years.
Just as much I love to exercise, I love to eat. Some of my absolute favourites would be dumplings and salt fish, subway and local delicacies like sugar cake always hit the sweet tooth when needed.
In terms of why I chose this program, well that would be because I would like to make a bigger impact in my neighbourhood. In my neighbourhood kids, most often around my age tend to get wrapped up in illegal activities and I would love to create a safe haven or "way out" if you may call it for these teenagers. And lastly I would like to learn about Chicago's youths. What are lives of teenagers and children like? Do they groups or clubs that allow them to focus their lives on something positive? What about their education?

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Here's a beautiful image of Trinidad

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And this would be it's location.

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This is my school's crest

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Lastly, here is a picture of me in my ceremonial cadet uniform. This was worn when I partook in the nation's independence parade.

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My name is Neila Ettienne, a teacher and theatre practitioner by way of professions. I am from the Spice Island of Grenada. We are best known for our spices especially Nutmeg and we are number 2 in the world's production next to Indonesia.
As an Adult mentor for this year's Youth Ambassador program, I am excited to engage and learn from my Lime Cohort, and hope that I can inspire them to continue being and making positive changes in their communities.

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Hello, my name is Janelle and I am 15 years old. I live currently live in Hyde Park and also go to a school in Hyde Park called Kenwood Academy High School. My hobbies are roller skating, skateboarding, reading, singing, hanging out with friends, etc. Both of my parents are from Ghana so I consider myself Ghanaian or black. When it comes to my culture, I love the food, the music, and the clothes. My favorite type of genre is AfroBeats and gospel music. I'm also a Christian believer, I love to talk about my religion and values. My favorite food would probably be fried chicken with fries and hot sauce lol, I LOVE food! The reason why I joined this program is that I wanted to connect with people who are from foreign countries and get to know their culture. I look forward to getting to know you all and meeting great people! =)

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My name is De'Andre and I am 16 and live in Nassau Bahamas. I am excited to be here as an ambassador this year. I love to travel , speech and debate , and having fun . I love all Italian foods especially pizza! I enjoy going on evening runs along lakes and canals . I joined this program to learn about other countries both within and beyond my region. Thus i am ecstatic to both share and learn about others.

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My name is Adrianna Smith, I am a 16 year old Jamaican. I live in the parish of Clarendon which is in the south. Currently I attend Glenmuir High in which I am a prospective 5th former so I will be graduating next year in June! Which is scary. My hobbies include watching movies, painting and drawing. My family and I did a glass painting activity recently which was super fun! I am a Seventh-day Adventist and so is my mom, we attend church online on Saturdays and in the evenings they host kahoot bible quizzes which are fun. One of my favourite meals is Barbeque Chicken with rice and peas. I also love sweets and pizza. I am not very sporty, I prefer to watch but I am good at roller skating! I haven't done it in a while because of Covid but I still have my blades. I wanted to be a Youth Ambassador because my mom said it would be good to meet new people, gain opportunities and branch out. I hope to learn many new things especially about leadership because sometimes I get a bit timid, not all the time just a bit but I love being apart of outreach projects! Thanks for having me and I hope to meet you soon. (my mom and I painted those)

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My name is Kyael Sammy. I am 15 years old. I am from Trinidad and Tobago, it is one country but two islands. I was originally born in Mayaro but migrated to Arima. I am a form 5 student that attends Trinity College East which is located in St. Georges East District. My hobbies are playing the steel pan, drawing, watching anime, baking and gardening. I have a passion for coding and web site design. My favorite local foods are Doubles, Duck Roti and Roti and Fry Aloo. Favorite international food is Sushi, KFC and Pizza. Currently I am challenging myself to learn to speak Japanese because I would love to travel to Japan one day. I am an Acolyte at my Church and enjoy helping others. I wanted to participate in this program to further my leadership ability and improve on my communication skills, to meet new people and create friendships across international borders. I am looking forward to leaning about Chicago's culture, foods, e and how different things are compared to the Caribbean.

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I am Shomicha Jackson, my first name is actually a combination of my parents' names. I am 15 years old and I will be 16 in a few weeks! I live in Barbados, in the parish of St Philip around the south of the island. I attend Harrison College and I am currently in 5th Form, completing my CSEC Examinations. I love to do puzzles, word search activities, play netball and I recently learned to swim! Another thing I love is food!! I have quite a number of favorite foods because I simply cannot narrow it down to one, but some of them are: samosas, pizza and most Chinese foods. I also love churros :)
Ultimately, the main reason I decided that I wanted to participate in this program was to further develop my ability to lead and to be the type of leader that is completely inclusive, aware and personable. A servant leader who understands that within teams there are differences, one who further comprehends the beauty of diversity and how to combat any challenges that may arise because of the cultural and linguistic differences. Therefore, I truly believe that this program embodies that and teaches young individuals how to become stellar leaders (and who wouldn't want to be a part of something so amazing right?).
I am definitely looking forward to the interesting things to be learnt about Chicago and to witness the beauty of difference. Through meeting others, I hope to learn more about the history of Chicago, the people, the food and just the culture in general! I really look forward to meeting you all and I hope that we all learn something new and develop our impacts around the world!

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This is me!

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This is my family!

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My name is Victoria Alemayehu. I am  16 years old and I live in Rogers Park, Chicago. I'm in high school as a rising junior and I'm on the track team, cheerleading team, and African American Club at Von Steuben High school. I like to dance, sing, and baking/cooking. My favorite food is Asian Cuisine and pizza. My favorite thing to bake is tiramisu (which is similar to coffee cake). I wanted to participate in this program to build my understand of people from a different country as me and learning more about their lifestyle as my cousins are from the Caribbean and I am very interested in apprehending deeper into their cultural traditions.

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Hi my name is Shayzan Brown! I am 15 and I live in Kingston, Jamaica. I attend Campion College and am going into grade 10 this September.My favourite subjects are English, History and Biology.  I love drawing, painting, listening to music and reading. I love yellow soup, fries and fried fish. I decided to join the program to better myself in terms of leadership but also learning about people from different cultures. 

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Hi my name is Shayzan Brown! I am 15 and I live in Kingston, Jamaica. I attend Campion College and am going into grade 10 this September.My favourite subjects are English, History and Biology.  I love drawing, painting, listening to music and reading. I love yellow soup, fries and fried fish. I decided to join the program to better myself in terms of leadership but also learning about people from different cultures. 

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Hello! My Name is Camila Moreno. I was born and raised in Venezuela until I was 9 years old, and now I live in Chicago! I am a student at Von Steuben High school. I am also a dancer and have been dancing for my whole life almost. I am really into fashion and hope that when I grow up I can work in the Fashion industry. I am also really into sports and throughout the years I've joined my school's team, mainly volleyball and soccer. I am so excited to join this program and learn more about others and the Caribbean countries and culture.

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Hello my name is Eddye Martinez and I am 16 years old. I am from Kelvyn Park. I go to Intrinsic Schools my favorite hobby is to go out a bike everywhere with my friends at the 606. My favorite foods is mostly mexican or pizza. I wanted to join this bc this was an opportunity for me to get community hours for school

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Hello! My name is Fernando Marquina. I'm 17 years old and I live in the Northwest side of Chicago, specifically in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood. I go to Intrinsic Schools and I'll be entering my final year of high school (12th). Both of my parents immigrated from Mexico to the United States, so Mexican culture heavily plays into who I am and what I like. In terms of food, I love Tortas and Tacos de Carne Asada (which is just grilled meat). As for my hobbies, I love to play chess, read non-fictional books about real world issues/events (such as Racism in America), listening to music (mostly rap), go biking, and watch Anime/any good show on Netflix. I deciding to join this program to learn about life for young people in the Caribbean. I look forward to meeting you all and making the best of this opportunity!

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Hello! My name is Fernando Marquina. I'm 17 years old and I live in the Northwest side of Chicago, specifically in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood. I go to Intrinsic Schools and I'll be entering my final year of high school (12th). Both of my parents immigrated from Mexico to the United States, so Mexican culture heavily plays into who I am and what I like. In terms of food, I love Tortas and Tacos de Carne Asada (which is just grilled meat). As for my hobbies, I love to play chess, read non-fictional books about real world issues/events (such as Racism in America), listening to music (mostly rap), go biking, and watch Anime/any good show on Netflix. I deciding to join this program to learn about life for young people in the Caribbean. I look forward to meeting you all and making the best of this opportunity!

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I'm  Kai Sealy, a 17 year old, 6th form student attending Harrison College Secondary School in the island of Barbados.
A few of my hobbies include baking, debating, any type of volunteerism or service derived initiative as well as anything to do with design and fashion.
This is really ironic since I'm not considered the most creative nor artistic person, neither do I do anything pertaining to those skills
(I chose all sciences lol) .
I would love to pursue a degree in fashion as I simultaneously pursue a degree in medicine in the future but so far I haven't seen that combination offered at any universities as yet!
I really enjoy James Patterson books and have a slight obsession with music and food!
My all time favorites would have to be sushi and pizza, although I do appreciate a good pasta and just about anything containing chicken!
I am an avid user of social media
( sometimes to my detriment...I blame Tik Tok ). I absolutely love getting all dressed up and taking photos for instagram, I post on my snapchat stories like I have a YouTube channel and just about never miss anything worth noting tweeted on twitter. I personally follow the media and news outlets, they always keep you in the loop about social and political affairs as well as any new studies or research that may have been published .
I had my heart set on joining this program for just about two years now mainly because I believe we all have areas in which we can grow, fine tune and learn. I am very involved in extracurriculars both within and outside of my school and community. I have also possessed and posses many leadership roles and responsibilities, however I believe that this program will help me to be a better leader while allowing me to interact with and meet new people with different personalities and cultures. Additionally, I am always eager to learn and this program facilities and promotes inclusion, diversity, community involvement and overall self growth, hence why I decided to join. Moreover, I am even more excited to learn about the culture, way of life and norms of Chicago as I've never visited the state and I look forward to this entire learning and engaging experience .

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Here's a picture of me at a really popular spot called Limegrove Lifestyle Centre located on the west coast of  Barbados in Holetown, St. James.

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Here's a picture of me at a really popular spot called Limegrove Lifestyle Centre located on the west coast of  Barbados in Holetown, St. James.

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I promise my eyes are open!

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it was amazing!

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Hello. My name us Uzair Siddiqui. I am 15 years old and I am currently in Jefferson park in Chicago. I attend Frederick Von Steuben Metropolitan Science Center. Some things I like to do is gaming with friends, playing sports such as volleyball and basketball, solving puzzles, and more. Some of my favorite foods is pizza, burgers, and biryani, which is chicken and rice. I wanted to participate in this program because I would love to meet new people internationally. I have done many programs where I met people in Chicago and even in the United States, but I have never done one where I met people from different countries. Also, I would be able to learn about different cultures and backgrounds of different people. I am looking forward to learning about how it is living like in the Caribbean. I also would like to see what traditions you guys have. I am very excited to see what we do and I hope to meeting all of you and learning new things!

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My name is Carmen Huang. I am 15 years old and I go to Kenwood Academy. During my free time I like to listen to music and play games. My favorite food is fries and I like desserts. I enrolled in this program because I wanted to make new friends and learn about the different cultures in the Caribbean. (Reposted)

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My name is Marquelle Waterford and I am 16 years old. My home is in the Hyde park neighborhood of Chicago. I currently attend Kenwood academy high school. Some of my hobbies are video games, sports, and drawing. My favorite foods are Buffalo wings and pizza. I joined the program because I wanted to learn more about the culture of the Caribbean and how it connects to Chicago culture.

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hii! my name is kabibi landveld, i'm 16 years old about to be 17 in 4 months and i live in paramaribo, suriname. i attend the general high school ( Algemene Middelbare School) but in short just AMS. i'm was very good in kickboxing My hobbies are singing, dancing and most of the time painting. my favorite foods are fries, a native dish called apiti in my hometown, and coconut cake. the reason why i joined this program is  because I want to improve myself  at communication skills and so that I can learn a lot more about the other participants and their countries. i really want to know the difference how they do in chicago and in the caribbean!

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hii! my name is kabibi landveld, i'm 16 years old about to be 17 in 4 months and i live in paramaribo, suriname. i attend the general high school ( Algemene Middelbare School) but in short just AMS. i'm was very good in kickboxing My hobbies are singing, dancing and most of the time painting. my favorite foods are fries, a native dish called apiti in my hometown, and coconut cake. the reason why i joined this program is  because I want to improve myself  at communication skills and so that I can learn a lot more about the other participants and their countries. i really want to know the difference how they do in chicago and in the caribbean!

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and this is me with my favorite cousin

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Hey everyone! My name is Olga Roussos. I am a 15-year-old homeschooled student from The Bahamas. I will be starting my senior year (12th grade) in high school this September. My hobbies include cooking, reading, learning to code, and participating in STEM related activities. Some of my favorite foods include conch salad, crab soup, and mango daiquiris. I wanted to participate in The Youth Ambassadors Program because I wanted to connect with like-minded people who wanted to make positive contributions in their respective communities. I am so excited to learn more about Chicagoan culture and some of the differences between life in the Caribbean and life in Chicago!

Below is a picture of me soaking up the sun at one of my favorite beaches in The Bahamas!

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Hey everyone! My name is Racheal Chesney and I am from Guyana. I am 16 years old and in September I will be entering Grade 11 at The Bishops’ High School, which is supposed to be my last year of high school...but won’t be:( Some of my hobbies include eating, reading and listening to music. I LOVE to eat. Nothing comes before food. I don’t have a specific favorite food. Food is my favorite:) I LOVE reading. Reading is my getaway from everything that goes on around me and lastly and most definitely not least, I LOVE to listen to music. No matter what mood I’m in, there is always a song that sums up how I feel. I wanted to join the Youth Ambassador Program to interact with others like myself from different countries and learn more about their various cultures and to tell them about my culture. I look forward to interacting more with everyone and learning more about them and where they’re from:)

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Hello everybody! My name is Adisa Holder. I am from the beautiful twin island of Trinidad and Tobago. I am 15 years old and I currently attend St. Mary's College at the form 5 level (in September). I am currently an aspiring cooperate lawyer. I really have a passion for business and Law so that career fits me perfectly! Personally, my favorite hobbies are playing games, playing and watching Basketball, watching anime, playing the guitar, and I also have a rather peculiar interest in the Day to day lifestyles of persons with different careers. Additionally, I like to read, listen to music and eat :). One of my favorite books has got to be 'To Kill A Mocking Bird'. There are so many characteristics I like about it that I cannot say all here such as 1) The Impact of Racism 2)Appearance vs Reality and many more. Some of my favorite foods are Spaghetti and Meatballs, Doubles (a local dish), pizza, Roti and Gyros. The reason I chose to do this program is to mainly build my leadership and social skills so that I can pass on knowledge in my school and help others in need. I especially want to learn how to help others on an emotional and mental level. Also, I see this program as an extraordinary stepping stone to my goal of becoming a cooperate lawyer since it requires a lot of hard work and leadership skills. I also hope to make a lot of friends from different backgrounds and cultures :). I look forward to learning about the culture of persons in Chicago and how different the lifestyle is from a Caribbean country.

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From the time of my birth, on  January 20th, and throughout my childhood, I have received honor roll, female athlete of the year, student of the month for social science, best speaker award for debates, school leadership awards, officer of the year, and rising star awards.  Individuals in my community have recognized me as diligent, congenial, and eloquent. I am dedicated, yearning, driven, and prepared to take on any assignment given to attain my dreams. Due to these qualities, I graduated this year as a Salutatorian with a High School Diploma of Excellence. Although, it was not easy. Haven left Eleuthera at the end of my junior year (9th grade) and moved to Abaco where I got involved in the Youth Empowerment Program, Youth Toastmasters, G.I.F.T.E.D InC, Friendship Tabernacle Dance, Teachers Cadet Program, and Debate Club. Despite being the new kid, I rose to the top and finished my tenth year at the top of my class. Unfortunately, Hurricane Dorrian struck forcing my family and me to the Berry Islands, where I completed grades eleven through twelve. Once again, I was the new kid. Nonetheless, I persevered. Because of these events, I’ve learned to grasp all offered opportunities that come my way, such as moderating special gatherings held on my school campus, representing the islands of Abaco and Berry Islands within the National Debate Series, and offering motivational speeches. As for my hobbies, they include, reading, watching movies, feasting, and learning new skills. I look forward to meeting you all.