Youth Ambassadors 2011

Shirin is a sixteen year old junior at Centerville High School. Her primary interests lie in academics, tennis, and the arts. She participates in many extra-curricular groups such as the Unit Assembly (a division of Student Council), Varsity Tennis Team, Poetry Club, Academic Team, Speech Team, Octagon Club, Key Club, Spanish Honors Society, Diversity Club, Students against Destructive Decisions, Drama Club, and the Asian American Youth Council of Dayton.  Shirin plays the violin in the Centerville Symphonic Orchestra, Alternative Strings, and the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra.  In addition, she tutors younger violinists and has volunteered at Centerville Youth Orchestra rehearsals. In 2010, she was awarded the title of Miss India by the India Club of Greater Dayton.

Since sixth grade, Shirin has accumulated over 600 hours of community service and has supported Vimukti, a school for special children in Kerala, India.  In 2010 she traveled to New Orleans on a mission trip with the Incarnation Church Youth Group to help with various projects in the Katrina relief effort. She was thoroughly impressed with the leadership of Mack McClendon while working at the Lower Ninth Ward Village Community Center there and has become involved in applying for a $250,000 grant from the Pepsi Refresh Program to further aid McClendon’s work.

Shirin became a member of the DIFI youth group in 2010 and has supported the group as a volunteer and dancer.  She was recently nominated as the DIFI youth group treasurer for 2011. Shirin is proud to celebrate her own culture through the India Club of Dayton by having participated in its dance performances at the festival since the age of 8.

Shirin believes the World A’Fair preserves cultures from different parts of the world. By doing so, the festival keeps heritage and tradition alive, especially for the youth and future generations. Furthermore, DIFI helps promote awareness of different backgrounds that exist in our community, thereby advocating tolerance, peace, and understanding among all people.

She looks forward to promoting the World A’Fair as its very first female Ambassador and sincerely wishes you enjoy the festival!

The male ambassador of this year’s Dayton International Festival is Ryan Kline. He is 20 years old and currently attends Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio where his major is nursing.  He was born in Dayton, Ohio and currently lives in Kettering, Ohio. Spending time with his friends, going to church and trying new activities are a few of the things that Ryan enjoys. Ryan stays very busy working as a patient care technician at Miami Valley Hospital.

Ryan began his involvement with the Dayton International Festival in 2004 when he started performing with the Beseda Dance Group from the American Czechoslovakian Club. Ryan joined the DIFI Youth Group in 2006 and is currently the Vice Chairperson of the organization. Ryan believes that the World A’ Fair is an asset to Dayton because it offers the unique experience to glimpse the incredibly diverse cultures that may be unknown to the inhabitants of the Miami Valley. Visitors to the festival come with a certain expectation of what they may experience and they leave with a whole new perception and understanding of the community and the cultures that exist in their own neighborhoods. Visitors can explore their own heritage and examine cultural practices that may have been lost from their own traditions. Ryan believes that the significance of the festival is for people to appreciate other people and the unique beauty of their cultures.

Ryan graduated from Kettering Fairmont High School in 2009 and successfully completed the Allied Health Tech Prep program at Fairmont, where he gained an appreciation for nursing and received guidance in the profession that he now pursues. The Allied Health program gave Ryan the invaluable opportunity to volunteer at Miami Valley Hospital’s Regional Adult Burn Center as well as the opportunity to become a certified AIM for the Handicapped teacher and State Tested Nurse Aide.  Ryan’s long-term goal is to eventually attain his Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree.

Ryan appreciates the special opportunity to be an ambassador of the Dayton International Festival and the opportunities that come with it, including serving as a role model to other youth as well as a chance to represent the City of Dayton.

Tarika Daniel
2010
Mozambique

Nita Gupta
2009
India

British Calloway
2008
Panama

Mary Woo
2007
Korea

Maria Gabriela Medina, 2006
Panama

Crystal Anne H. Belen, 2005
Philippines

Erin Petkus
2004
Scotland

Elizabeth Pages
2003
Colombia

Hiloni Bhavsar
2002
India

Laura Talbot
2001
Korea

Stephanie Van Der Sluijs 2000 Netherlands

Roohi Abdulla
1999
India

Meghan Monahan 1998
France

Cheryl Castro
1997
Philippines

Veronica Njodinizeh
1996 Nigeria

Molly Geiger
1995
Lithuania

Sarah Jang
1994
Korea

Angela Kathumbi 1993
Africa

Reina Sheppard 1992
Carriba

Anjali Mediratta (Brannon)
1991 India

Heather Naber (Steineman)
1990 Hungary

Darlene Joson 1989
Philippines

Kathy Kennedy (Nozar)
1988 Hungary

Deborah Ullmer 1987
Peru

Shailini Jandial (George)
1986 India

Donna Pratt
1985
Africa

Neerja Jandial (Chaudhry)
1984 India

Deborah Eyman (Ketchen)
1983 Netherlands

Mary Hawkins (Chizmar)
1982 China

Melody Pratt (Palmore)
1981 Africa