NOAA Ocean Guardian Youth Ambassadors Lead Action Coast to Coast for the Third Year


By Lena Jones

September 17, 2026

High school students who are NOAA Ocean Guardian Youth Ambassadors. L to R: A female standing in front of Hawaii State Assembly; a female looking into a microscope; a female standing in front of a room of kindergarten students with the NOAA logo on a large screen in front of the room; a male working on a PVC pipe remotely operated vehicle; and a female pointing to students in front of a large screen with Spanish writing.

Last year, over 350 students from 37 states, Puerto Rico, and Guam applied to the NOAA Ocean Guardian Youth Ambassadors Program. 254 of these students were selected to join together to learn about ocean conservation and stewardship to make a difference at their school or in their local community. The program gives youth ages 13 to 18 the opportunity to learn valuable leadership skills and engage with ocean stewardship on a new level. The ambassadors of our third cohort completed 105 projects reaching over 4,000 people. You can see some of the standout projects from Cohort 2 and 3 in our Youth Ambassador Showcase. Through their projects, the ambassadors were able to plant 200 trees and remove 1,700 pounds of trash, including over 600 plastic bottles.

A graphic showing the impact of ocean conservation and stewardship projects completed by Cohort 3 youth ambassadors.
Cohort 3 of NOAA Ocean Guardian Youth Ambassadors completed 105 projects, reached over 4,000 individuals, removed 1,700 pounds of trash, planted 200 trees, collected over 600 plastic bottles, saved over 250 clothing items from the landfill, and connected with 350 people through in person outreach.

Program Impact

At the end of the year, ambassador evaluations showed that as a result of the program, they now know how to confidently share their knowledge about ocean conservation. Youth ambassadors were able to improve their community engagement and stewardship, public speaking skills, and project leadership experience.

"My experience with NOAA had a major impact on my interest in environmental science and helped me begin developing the community-focused idea that eventually became my science fair research project." – Alexandra Kanterezhi-Gatto
"Thank you so much for all of your help over the last two cohorts of this program. I have learned so much from the NOAA Ocean Guardian Youth Ambassador Program and I can't wait to use my new skills in the future." – Malea Stassi

Ocean Guardian Youth Ambassadors not only gain leadership skills, they learn about ocean literacy and ways to implement effective stewardship projects. Ambassadors shared an interest in continuing to learn how to help solve environmental issues after the conclusion of the program. At our last meeting, ambassadors each shared one word to describe their experience; with many using words such as inspiring, insightful, and engaging.

A graphic showing words ambassadors used to describe their experience with inspiring, amazing, and insightful showing up as the largest and therefore most used
A word cloud from the last Cohort 3 meeting of the year. Ambassadors shared one word to describe their experience with the program.

Empowering Knowledge and Stewardship

Throughout the year, ambassadors participated in monthly meetings with topics including an introduction to the National Marine Sanctuary System, ocean literacy, and skills such as forming partnerships, public speaking, time management, and outreach. NOAA staff and NOAA Dr. Nancy Foster Scholars presented about their career pathways, and the various guest presenters covered topics such as stewardship for World Ocean Day, communication strategies, and ocean sound and noise impacts.

Youth ambassadors presented their project or event in the monthly meetings, providing them an opportunity to practice public speaking and leadership. Ambassadors shared that seeing their peers' presentations inspired and encouraged them in their own projects. As a result of participating in the NOAA Ocean Guardian Youth Ambassador Program, over 95% of participants reported gaining enhanced knowledge of ocean conservation and stewardship.

Looking Ahead

The NOAA Ocean Guardian Youth Ambassador Program provides opportunities for youth to find their voice as leaders and changemakers. Cultivating passionate young leaders is an essential component to the program. Since the beginning of the program, we have had over 1,050 youth ambassadors who have completed 246 projects and events reaching 77,630 people at their schools and in their local communities.

A graphic showing words ambassadors used to describe their feelings at the end of the program with the words happy, inspired, and empowered showing up as the largest and therefore most used words
Cohort 3 youth ambassadors shared one word to describe their feelings at the end of the program.

At the end of each cohort we hold a final meeting to celebrate the achievements of each ambassador and ask them how they felt as the program concluded. This year (as in years past), instead of focusing on the countless challenges our ocean faces, they shared mostly positive feelings of inspiration, happiness, and empowerment.

Through programs like NOAA Ocean Guardian Youth Ambassadors, we are able to engage student's passion about ocean conservation and stewardship on a deeper level. By investing in the development of future leaders connected to the natural world, we are ensuring that conservation and stewardship of our ocean continue for decades to come.

Lena Jones is a virtual education consultant for NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and an undergraduate student at Oregon State University.