Castlegar teen Rachael teBulte has won a spot on the 2015 BC Ambassador team. The former Miss Castlegar Princess was one of three girls chosen to represent the youth of our province during the next year.
TeBulte excelled at several aspects of the contest, winning the Community Table category and placing in the top three for the Knowledge Award. She will receive $1500 in scholarships for her achievements.
The components of the contest included a three hour knowledge exam, an essay, a speech on a topic of their own choosing, a community speech, an impromptu question and a table showcasing the features of their community.
The Peoples Choice Award also went to teBulte. The award is given to the contestant that receives the most online votes. “It was pretty cool to know that I had so many people from our area supporting me in that, voting every day,” said teBulte. She even received votes from as far away as Kenya, where she spent some time volunteering in the past year.
TeBulte said the experience was different from the Castlegar program where there are meetings, deadlines and expectations for each step of each element along the way. The Ambassador program is more self directed. “They gave us a binder and were like, we will see you in six months. It was very growing to learn how to plan those things and prepare for them on our own and really get a better understanding of how much work is put into the programs in our small communities.” said teBulte.
Travelling around the province to promote the BC Ambassador Program's mandate of education, motivation, self-esteem and nurturing future leaders will be part of teBulte's new duties. She will also attend community pageants and events, especially in the Kootenay region.