Local woman Mary Batyi was in Merrit, BC earlier this month competing for the title of BC Ambassador. Batyi walked away with not only the crown, but several awards and bursaries, along with the honour of representing our province’s youth.
The BC Ambassador Program is open to any young woman or man between the ages of 17 and 24 who has previously held an ambassador or royalty title in the province. As the 2011 Lady of the Lake’s First Princess, Batyi and eight other contestants were required to present a speech with the topic of their choosing, a speech on their community, answer an impromptu question, complete a three-hour knowledge exam, create a community table and undergo a 20-minute interview with the judges.
Batyi excelled at the pageant, managing to receive the awards and bursaries for public speaking, knowledge and her community presentation.
Batyi, along with her fellow ambassadors Rachel teBlute from Castlegar and Tess Russell from Kamloops, will be spending the next year traveling throughout the province promoting their mandate of education, motivation and self-esteem. She said that she looks forward to taking on her new role representing the Cowichan Lake communities and serving as a role model for the youth of BC.
