Land of Enchantment Young Ambassadors Host Beautification Summit
Are you a high school student? Are you interested in enhancing your leadership skills while positively impacting New Mexico’s natural beauty? We’ve got an event for you.
Youth Beautification Summit
Saturday, May 16, 2026
9:00am to 3:30pm
National Hispanic Cultural Center, 1701 4th St SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102
Only the first 100 students registered can attend.
Join us for a day of leadership, workshops, a community service project, and fun activities.
Trash to Treasure Challenge
Trash to Treasure Challenge!
Calling all New Mexico K–5 students! Turn everyday “trash” into creative art and help keep our state beautiful.
How it works: Collect safe, reusable items → create your artwork → submit online with a short note on litter prevention.
Details: Grades K–5 • Deadline: June 1, 2026 • prizes for selected winners
We are looking for: Creativity • Effort • Adherence to guidelines
Success Stories
Young Ambassador Nob Hill Cleanup – Albuquerque
Land of Enchantment Young Ambassadors, Kate Watkins, Sahba Ghasempour &
Oluchi Akwani coordinated a clean-up in the Nob Hill neighborhood of Albuquerque. The volunteers walked from the Jefferson parking lot and worked their way down from Monte Vista Blvd through alleyways collecting trash. We finished next to Central behind the Sign and Image Factory and gathered bags to be taken to the dump.
Number of Volunteers – 22
Number of Trash Bags Collected – 21
St. Michael’s Clean Up – Santa Fe
This event went really well. We pick up every single piece of trash outside of St. Michael’s High School. With track season going on we were able to find a lot of litter. Since there were fewer of us we used plastic grocery bags to pick up the trash. Even though we didn’t have that many people we were still able to make change!
Mora High School Trash Pick Up
Mora students, with the help of Evangeline Duran, a Young Ambassador who attends Mora High, helped organize the event.
The event went really well. We collected more than enough trash bags, and many students enjoyed spending time outside. The outside of our school looks much nicer now. Everyone had a good time, and they really enjoyed volunteering their time.
Number of Volunteers – 43
Number of Bags of Trash Collected – 40
2025-2026 Land of Enchantment Young Ambassadors
The New Mexico Department of Transportation, in partnership with the Office of the Governor, has named 14 high school students as the 2025–2026 Land of Enchantment Young Ambassadors, a new statewide leadership program focused on preventing litter and graffiti while promoting community pride. The Young Ambassadors initiative is part of NMDOT’s Que Linda program and the Governor’s youth-focused #KeepLitterOut campaign and aims to empower youth to lead local beautification efforts across New Mexico. More than 150 students applied for the inaugural program, which builds leadership, project management, and civic engagement skills.
Click the profiles below for more information.
Oluchi Akwani
Volcano Vista High School
Albuquerque
Sahba Ghasempour
Early College Academy
Albuquerque
Kate Watkins
Albuquerque High School
Albuquerque
Flora Mack
Taos High School
Carson
Evangeline “Vange” Duran
Mora High School
Chacon
Madalynn Casey
Clovis High School
Clovis
Susonia Nezwood
San Juan College High School
Farmington
Reilly Burress
Grants High School
Grants
Kenn Dejan
Jemez Valley High School
Jemez Pueblo
Breanne Lucero
Socorro High School
Lemitar
Sophia Royo-Begueria
Goddard High School
Roswell
Elise Gutierrez
St. Michael’s High School
Santa Fe
Jordyn Campion
Centennial High School
Vado
Benito Armijo Jr.
Wagon Mound Public Schools
Wagon Mound
Find an Event
Join fellow New Mexicans in upcoming trash and litter clean-up events to help keep our beautiful state clean. Together, we can protect our landscapes and create a healthier environment for future generations!
Ready to make a difference? Submit your event and be a part of the movement towards positive change. Let's take action together!
Great American Cleanup (many locales kick off in March)
Great American Cleanup (many locales kick off in March)
March 1, 2026 - May 31, 2026
Take the Pledge
New Mexico’s stunning landscapes and vibrant communities are treasures worth protecting. By taking this pledge, you commit to doing your part in keeping our state beautiful, clean, and sustainable for future generations. Whether it’s picking up litter, recycling, or conserving resources, every small action makes a big difference. Join us in preserving the beauty of New Mexico—together, we can make a lasting impact.