Greta Kelley

Learning to Lead Through Connection

When Greta Kelley applied to the U.S. Youth Ambassadors Program, she imagined leadership would look familiar: presentations, structured discussions, and data-driven problem solving. While those moments were valuable, the experiences that shaped her most in Belize happened outside the formal agenda. Husking coconuts with sticky hands, cooking fish over an open fire, and learning a dance she had never encountered before revealed a different dimension of leadership. These unplanned moments emphasized the importance of presence, curiosity, and shared experience.

Before the exchange, she often measured impact through numbers and outcomes. In Belize, that perspective shifted. Impact began with trust, built through everyday interactions such as shared meals and laughter over missed dance steps. She observed how health, culture, and community were woven into daily life, and how leadership emerged through listening and honoring what mattered to people. These moments reshaped her understanding of what meaningful engagement looks like and how connection can lay the foundation for lasting change.

The Youth Ambassador program taught me to blend data with empathy, to value both measurable outcomes and human connection.
Greta Kelley, YA Alum

After returning home, she carried those lessons forward by co-founding Global Health Buddies, a cross-cultural video exchange connecting students in Colorado and Belize City. The initiative paired student-led health education videos with wellness kits and classroom collaboration, extending the sense of connection formed during the exchange. With mentor support, she formed partnerships with UNICEF, organized fundraising efforts, and continued filming new exchanges while expanding teacher lesson plans. The project reflected her commitment to sustaining relationships and translating learning into action.

The experience also influenced her academic path. The Youth Ambassadors Program taught her to balance data with empathy, helping her see how quantitative analysis and human connection can work together. That perspective guided her decision to major in Quantitative Social Science and minor in Public Policy, and ultimately supported her acceptance to Dartmouth. More than strengthening her college applications, the program clarified the kind of leader she hopes to become, one grounded in listening, collaboration, and community-driven impact.

Related Program

Youth Ambassadors

Youth Ambassadors is a cultural exchange program designed to strengthen the leadership skills of young people from the Caribbean, Latin America, and the United States. It builds bonds of friendship and understanding between people of the Americas and is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.