Ambassador Program

At Horizons, we aren’t just talking about ways to serve young adults–we’re hearing directly from them on what works and what doesn’t.

This year at Horizons, JFF is launching an Ambassador Program to engage young adults who represent learners and early career talent in the Horizons experience.

Ambassadors will serve as advisors who uplift the voices of early talent at the summit, and join key parts of our on-site programming.

The role of Ambassadors includes:

Engaging in on-site roles that are catered to their career goals and interests
Serving on an advisory council before and after Horizons to provide insight on how to better serve early talent in future Horizons events
Engaging one-on-one in career mentor sessions at Horizons and maximizing LinkedIn profiles using LinkedIn Premium
Networking, engaging in sessions that interest them, and sharing the Horizons experience from the early talent perspective

Thank you to our sponsors for their individual support of the Horizons Ambassador program this year!

Meet the Ambassadors

Alex Edgar is a second-year at UC Berkeley studying Political Behavior with minors in Public Policy and Education. He is passionate about developing policy solutions to pressing social problems in order to create education systems and democratic institutions that are more responsive to the will and needs of the American people. As Director of UC Berkeley’s Vote Coalition, he successfully spearheaded a fight to secure an on-campus polling location in 2022 and acquired over $100,000 in grants for civic programming. He also coordinates civic engagement efforts for over 280,000 students across all nine undergraduate UC campuses for the UC Student Association. Alex's exceptional civic work has been widely recognized, and he was honored with the 2023 John Lewis Youth Leadership Award from the National Association of Secretaries of State, presented by the California Secretary of State Shirley Weber. He has also been published in Forbes, featured in CBS News Bay Area, and has spoken about voting rights and civic education across the country. Recently elected as External Affairs Vice President for UC Berkeley’s Student Body, Alex loves working with his peers to inspire Generation Z to become the most civically engaged generation in American history.

Arianna Hampton

Arianna is from Trenton, New Jersey but currently lives in Austin, TX. She works to support and uplift all children, bolster their confidence, and expand their world of possibilities with the help of their families, caregivers, teachers, and community. As a former childcare provider, she is passionate about early childhood and expanding quality early learning experiences to all children. She has BA in Biology from Rutgers University, loves STEAM Learning, and hopes to bring more exposure to STEAM to little learners all around.

I work to support and uplift ALL children, bolster their confidence, and expand their world of possibilities with the help of their families, caregivers, teachers, and community.

Damien

Damien Wellington

Damien Wellington, also known as XingFilmz, is an aspiring videographer/cinematographer from the Loop Lab. He is on a mission to create his own media group of creatives that shares the same passion, creating content that can consist of short films, video journals, skits, music videos, and all things creative. The creative arts are his true calling. "I believe everyone has a story but it remains untold. I am going to be their resource to share them.

Dayanara Castillo

Dayanara Rocha-Castillo is, First-Gen Student at Brigham Young University (BYU), majoring in pre-business with an emphasis on Finance. Recipient of the President's Leadership Council Scholarship at BYU. Currently contracted as a Helpdesk Specialist on the MyPACE at JFF. In high school, she was a board member of the Newark Opportunity Youth Network - Youth Policy Advisory Council (NOYN), and graduated at the age of 16, with a Leadership award. Seeing local youth falling through the cracks, and becoming unnoticed by the educational system, she strives to empower youth and promote equitable education within urban communities.

Sierra Bentley

My name is Sierra, and those who know me professionally in the tech realm refer to me as Bentley. I am a certified IT Specialist. I am a self-starter professional with proven experience in leadership and community advocacy. I get a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment when I can help those who struggle with problems regarding technology. I believe technology should be accessible to all, and no one should be left behind when learning to use it. I believe in changing the narratives, norms, and perspectives surrounding women of color being successful in male-dominated fields through transparency, reflection, and sharing my resources and lived experiences of how I made it to where I am now.

Sierra Gaines

Sierra Gaines is a community advocate and future Psychologist. She attends Dillard University studying Child Psychology and Sociology. Sierra is an OY Ambassador with the Reengagement Center where she works on improving community engagement and fostering relationships with youth participants. Sierra has engaged as a youth advisor with partners such as the Jobs for the Future Young Adult Talent Development and the Youth Voice Working Group with NOLA’s Children and Youth Planning Board. Sierra believes young people are the key and inspiration for growth in our communities and that adult investment is necessary to support young people as future change makers.

Toni Dismuke

Toni Dismuke is a senior at Arabia Mountain High School. I plan on attending Howard University and majoring in computer engineering as a Karsh Stem Scholar. My hobbies include dancing, reading, shopping, and collecting novelty items. I strive to be an active and engaging member of my community. As of right now, I am the president of my school’s chapter of Girls Who Code, Secretary of Technology Student Association, and Co-Captain of the majorette/dance team. My ultimate goal in life is to make a lasting and intentional impact on the people I meet.

Zenetta Zepeda

Zenetta Zepeda is Sicangu Lakota and Navajo of the Deeshchii’nii Clan on her mother’s side, and Vietnamese on her father’s side. She grew up in Denver, Colorado and was raised in the powwow circle with predominantly Lakota views. Currently, she is a senior at the University of Colorado Denver studying on a pre-health track with a Bachelor of Science in biology with a minor in behavioral & cognitive neuroscience.

She is also pursuing a certification in environmental stewardship of Indigenous lands and a certification in American Indian studies. Zenetta serves as an advisor to The Aspen Institute's Youth and Young Adult Wellbeing Measure Project, a collaborative effort between researchers, community leaders, and led by youth and young adults with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Forum For Community Solutions, and Fresh Tracks. She will be the first in her direct lineage on either side of her family to attend and graduate a four-year university. Her goal is to obtain an MD-Ph.D and transform the STEM and medical fields into inclusive, accessible environments for all minorities of sex, race, religion, and gender because a position of longitude and latitude should not determine access to basic human rights.