UHS Peer Ambassador Program

Union High School’s Peer Ambassadors Leadership Program was first established in 2012, as the Peer Mentors Program. The purpose of the program was to have students serve as mentors to incoming freshmen. Since that time, the program has become a full Leadership Program, under the direction of Patricia Bridges, School Counselor at Union High School. This program provides a space and place where students realize the leader that is within them by offering opportunities to exercise innovation, initiative and strengthbased leadership. Since its establishment, the number of Peer Ambassadors has grown from twenty-five mentors to over one hundred and fifty. As a group of leaders, the theme has always been: “Serve our School and Community – Changes our Nation – Impacts the World”
In 2015, Mrs. Bridges contacted EF Tours (Education First) regarding an International Service Learning trip for the Peer Ambassadors. The trip was an extraordinary opportunity where the parents of the students invested in their global education. They joined with groups from New York and Virginia to work with the Environmental School in Jarabacua Republica Dominicana.
Recently, over Spring Break, four Peer Ambassadors accompanied Mrs. Bridges to Caberete Republica Dominicana to work with the Empowering Girls Service Learning Opportunity with Mariposa, a Non-profit Organization that educates, empowers girls and works to employ young women who have graduated from their program. The ambassadors from UHS worked together with a group from Boston, MA to help the girls to beautify the Mariposa Center and interact with the Mariposa girls in preparation for their Earth Day Celebration on April 22, 2017.
Global education is a precious investment in the lives of our young adults and potential leaders. Mrs. Bridges will continue in her passion to educate adolescents through global travel and service learning. She will be traveling again in 2019, giving families and students an entire year to financially plan and emotionally prepare for this global and life-changing experience.