By Ashley Smith, Summer Programs Intern
In the YTA: An Interview with Madeline Wright
”What helped me a lot was finding something that I love and using that passion to inspire my work.
In this interview, Madeline Wright, a 2022-2023 Young Texan Ambassador (and a returning Ambassador for the 2024-25 cohort!), shares how she approached her community project. Visit the Young Texan Ambassador webpage to learn even more about the program and access resources to share with your community.
1. How did you find out about the Young Texan Ambassador Program and why did you get involved?
Madeline: I first encountered YTA through an Instagram advertisement. My feed is mostly just dogs, hiking, and conservation, so I saw that it was a really cool program and applied that day.
2. What did you do for your cleanup or community project?
Madeline: I combined my service project and community clean-up to host an interactive booth at Palo Duro Canyon State Park that taught about the park’s history and recruited volunteers for our cleanup. It was the 90th anniversary of the Civilian Conservation Corps at Palo Duro Canyon State Park and my clean-up allowed people to learn about the Civilian Conservation Corps and “join” for the day. I set up in front of the park’s most visited trail because the popularity means there’s also the danger of pollution and crowds damaging the trail. We had so many people from bikers to trailrunners to hikers see us and decide to volunteer, and it was really a source of pride for people to be picking up the trail.
3. How can programs, such as YTA, keep youth engaged and excited throughout the year?
Madeline: What helped me a lot was finding something that I love and using that passion to inspire my work. I love the outdoor recreation community; by cleaning up a trail I love and inviting other members of the outdoor recreation community, my project was so much more enjoyable.
4. What lessons or skills did you take away from your time as a Young Texan Ambassador?
Madeline: I would like to use my previous community project as a foundation for this year’s project. I have a lot more resources now from my education to my friends, and I’ve established a reputation with the park staff. When I hosted my cleanup in highschool, one of the park rangers asked if I wanted to come back and do cleanups on a monthly basis. There’s other popular trails in the park, so we talked about potentially doing a cleanup at one trail per month to make a bigger impact. That conversation sparked some ideas, so I think I can now host cleanups on a monthly basis at some different trails.
About Madeline
Madeline Wright was a 2022-2023 Young Texan Ambassador and is returning to the program this year as a 2024-2025 Young Texan Ambassador. Madeline is a rising junior at West Texas A&M studying environmental science and geology in hopes of pursuing a career as a park ranger.
