In 2026, the World Food Prize Foundation launched the Alumni Ambassadors program. The Alumni Ambassadors program aims to uphold the Foundation’s commitment to investing in, equipping and mobilizing a global youth community shaping sustainable food systems. These dedicated Alumni Ambassadors will foster meaningful connections to the Foundation and strengthen the Foundation’s Youth Programs by ensuring multigenerational learning across our initiatives in an effort to equip and mobilize our alumni network to become impact leaders in their communities and beyond.
The Alumni Ambassadors program was developed using an alumni-led approach in partnership between the Foundation and its Alumni Steering Committee, composed of a small working group of active, dedicated alumni of the Foundation's Youth Programs: Francine Barchett, Emma Barrett, Chris Barron, Nick Blumenthal, Jana Chow, Shywann Horne, Chase Krug and Andie Pinga.
2026 Alumni Ambassadors
The 2026 Alumni Ambassador cohort representing five regions is:
Great Lakes Regional Team:
Chris Barron | West Lafayette, Indiana
Jana Chow | Plain City, Ohio
Jacob Savela | St. Paul, Minnesota*
Destiny Taylor | Mount Pleasant, Michigan
Midwest Regional Team:
Evelyn Heidt | Altoona, Iowa
Alexander Hutchinson | Manhattan, Kansas
Kelli Klink | Roland, Iowa
Olivia Marti | Arthur, Iowa
Nolan Monaghan | St. Louis, Missouri*
Morgan Smith | Nevada, Iowa
Northeast Regional Team:
Srijani Datta | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pranav Mettu | Rocky Mount, North Carolina
Andie Pinga | New York City, New York*
Raena Prude | Ithaca, New York
Risha Shetye | Conshohocken, Pennsylvania
Southern Regional Team:
Alani Haile | Daytona Beach, Florida
Shywann Horne | Waycross, Georgia
Riya Kalluvila | Hubertus, Wisconsin
Angel Lindsey | Stockbridge, Georgia*
Ariadne Pappa | College Station, Texas
Western Regional Team:
Tara Ross | Lamar, Arkansas*
Maya Sande | Eden Prairie, Minnesota
*Indicates Team Lead
Eligibility Requirements:
Any person engaged in Foundation service or Youth Program opportunities (Global Youth Institute, Borlaug-Ruan Intern, Wallace-Carver Fellow, Board of Reviewers, Reserve Corps, George Washington Carver/Foundation Intern, Global Expert, State Youth Institute participant or volunteer, etc.) is eligible to apply.
It is preferred that alumni ambassadors have prior participation in 3 - 4 Foundation opportunities, as listed above, and are currently enrolled in a higher education institution or consider themselves an early career professional.
Structure and Responsibilities:
The annual cohort will consist of five Ambassador teams representing each of the following United States regions: Northeast, South, Great Lakes, Midwest and West. Each region will have 3 - 5 team members and one lead, assigned by the Foundation.
Alumni Ambassadors are expected to provide a one year commitment during which time they will work in their team to develop and strengthen regional World Food Prize Foundation alumni networks through communication efforts and events. This includes organizing and leading at least one regional alumni engagement event, representing the Foundation at local Youth Institutes or other events as needed, participating in regular regional team meetings (biweekly or monthly, as determined by regional leadership) and collaborating with regional team members and the national Ambassador cohort as a whole.
“We are humbled by the enthusiasm for the Foundation’s Youth Program alumni to stay involved, give back and promote our impact. This program was born out of an alumni-led demand to develop our networks and we hope it will provide another opportunity in our leadership development pipeline for youth to connect with the Foundation that is mutually beneficial. We are grateful for their efforts.” Rebecca Picard, Senior Director, Global Youth Programs & Partnerships
Iowa student intern Olivia Marti was placed at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Texcoco, Mexico.
"Prior to my internship, I had no idea how impactful it would be in my life. During my internship, I was able to gain experience in laboratory practices that helped me get a job at the Iowa State University Seed Science Center as a freshman.
I had expected this internship to give me some insight on whether seed science was actually a career I wanted to pursue, and it did. Where it went above and beyond were the experiences I gained and the opportunity to develop my Spanish speaking abilities with native speakers."