Quesnel’s 2021 and 2022 ambassadors were recently recognized by city council.
Outgoing ambassadors Jaeana Dumais, Jessie Johal and Naylene Runge were presented with a rose and plaque on behalf of the city by councillor Laurey-Anne Roodenburg on Aug. 16.
They were introduced at the council meeting by Cara Nault.
“I was Miss Quesnel a very, very long time ago, and I decided to help out a little bit this year with some of the royalty…and to build up some more members,” Nault said.
The ambassador program, according to Nault, teaches self-confidence in speaking and provides participants the opportunity to meet ambassadors in different communities and represent Quesnel as much as possible.
Mayor Bob Simpson said the in-person plaque presentation to outgoing ambassadors and introduction to incoming ambassadors was the first since COVID-19.
“It’s great to see the girls without masks and to be able to do the presentations directly,” Simpson noted.
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Dumais, Johal and Runge took turns speaking on the value of the Quesnel Ambassador Leadership Program (QALP).
One thing Johal enjoyed the most was meeting new people.
“The value of this program is all the memories and friendship that comes out of it,” Dumais said. “That’s truly something that I’ll take away and will always be in my heart.”
Runge called their departure bittersweet and said she loved the program, in which she grew to learn more about herself and improve her skills while having wonderful experiences.
Roodenburg thanked Dumais, Johal and Runge for representing Quesnel.
Nault then introduced incoming ambassadors Nevaeh Kueber and Jada Crossman, who each received a rose and commented they have been having fun since being crowned.
A rose was also presented to QALP workshop coordinator Rose Scott for her involvement with the program.
Scott asked everyone to send prayers to her daughter, Sierra Cook, who is in the hospital.
“She has been part of this program since she became a candidate in 2014, so I do all of this to help my daughter, and hopefully, she’s here with us next year,” Scott said.