Cheektowaga High School Students Join Special Olympics Youth Ambassador Program

Buffalo, NY – Victoria Deane and Angelo Sanetick of Cheektowaga High School will represent Special Olympics NY as members of the 2024-2026 class of Special Olympics U.S. Youth Ambassadors. For the next two years, they will join other young people with and without intellectual disabilities from across the nation and serve as advocates, share stories, and demonstrate the values of inclusive youth leadership.

The 15 national leaders are strong representatives for Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools® programming—a strategy creating sports, leadership, and whole school engagement opportunities. The result is a school environment that promotes inclusion and respect for all. As many as 16 million young people are taking part in inclusive experiences through Special Olympics across the U.S.

Victoria Deane competes in both Unified bowling, basketball, and bocce. “I’m thrilled to be part of the Youth Ambassadors so that I can spread inclusion in my school and also across the whole nation,” she said.

Angelo Sanetick is an active member of the Unified program at Cheektowaga Central and has competed in traditional Special Olympics for seven years. Angelo loves helping younger students learn sports and develop new skills. “One of my favorite memories is competing at USA Games in Orlando, Florida,” said Angelo. “I’m excited to become a Youth Ambassador.”

The Youth Ambassadors program is designed to amplify young people’s voices and insights in advocating for achieving long-term societal goals for acceptance of those with differences. Through training, engagement, and activation at the national level, the students will be even more poised to lead their schools, communities, and workplaces toward a more equitable and accepting world.

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