Young Ambassadors Beautification Summit Inspires Next Generation of New Mexico Leaders
Land of Enchantment Young Ambassadors hosted the first beautification summit for New Mexico’s high school students. This event brought together students from across the state to learn about the impact litter as on our land and waterways, creating beautiful spaces, and education on how they can lead the change. The event partnered with #KEEPLITTOUT, the New Mexico youth campaign, New Mexico Department of Transportation, New Mexico Tourism Department, Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, Imagine ABQ, New Mexico Youth Conservation Corps and renowned muralist, John Paul Granillo.
The Young Ambassadors presented their capstone projects with the hopes that attendees will join the fight to #KEEPLITTEROUT of Our State. The capstone projects include:
- Trash to Treasure Challenge– an art project challenge for elementary school students
- How Youth Can Engage Policy Makers for Change (Plastic Bag Ban Bill) – a website dedicated to understanding the issue and how to act – (Click Here)
- Assessing Litter Pollution through Soil Chemistry – (Click Here to Download Presentation)
The summit also recognized youth groups positively impacting our environment like: Mark Armijo Academy YCC whose program has removed 10,960 lbs. of trash from Bernalillo County; Keep Kewa Beautiful, in partnership with the Kewa TRUTH Youth Council, has removed 1,840 lbs. of trash from Santo Domingo Pueblo; and the Land of Enchantment Young Ambassadors who are tasked with hosting clean-up events in there communities. They engaged 311 volunteers and removed 11,680 lbs. of trash.
Stay tuned. Applications will open in August 2026.
Trash to Treasure Challenge
Trash to Treasure Challenge!
We are incredibly proud of the amount of responses we received and the range of grade levels represented. Students showed creativity and unique designs in reshaping trash into pieces of art. In the future, we could expand the project to age groups that include middle and even high school. While the youngest voices would still have a place to shine, a greater variety of responses gives a better idea of how the New Mexico Youth can make litter into art.
As Young Ambassadors of the statewide Beautification Initiative, our goal is to share our passion for creating a clean state by picking up litter and engaging our community in environmental activism. It takes every voice to make this state beautiful, so our project was uniquely designed to reach the less-involved younger population of New Mexico. In developing the Trash To Treasure Challenge, we wanted to connect children across the state to the essence of the Young Ambassador Initiative: taking something wasteful and creating beauty.
We received 29 responses from a range of grade-levels. Here’s what students created!
Success Stories
Mavericks 4H Club Cleanup #KeepLitterOut Campaign
The Mavericks 4-H Club Cleanup, part of the #KeepLitterOut campaign, partnered with Breanne Lucero, a Land of Enchantment Young Ambassador. It took place in the rural, irrigation-based town of San Antonio, New Mexico, where Breanne planned and led the event to help improve the San Antonio community and raise awareness about keeping New Mexico clean.
The group met at the church, and Breanne had four different plans prepared depending on how many volunteers showed up. With over 20 volunteers, she used the largest plan. Breanne organized everyone into teams of four, assigned areas to cover, and went over safety rules and expectations. Adults were there to supervise and support the plan, and one helped by driving around to bring supplies and pick up trash bags.
The cleanup ran from 5:00–7:00 PM with 26+ volunteers. We covered over 15 miles and collected 35 large trash bags. This helped keep trash out of the river and irrigation ditches that support local agriculture, protecting crops, animals, and the environment. It also encouraged community members to step in and help, showing strong community pride.
Number of Volunteers: 26
Number of Bags of Trash Collected: 35
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!
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!
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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.