Say goodbye to the Strassenbash Queen title and hello the Strassenbash Ambassador for 2019.For decades the Strassenbash Queen title has been a tradition for the annual Strassenbash Festival in Wright City. The contest centered around a group of young female candidates. The one who stood out in a few select categories would be crowned and go on to represent the community at events throughout the year.While Strassenbash Queen has always been considered a prestigious honor, two local volunteers, Heidi Box and Jennie Bueneman, felt modernizing the program would create more opportunities for local children and better payoffs.Beginning with the 2019 festival this September, candidates will contend for the title of Strassenbash Ambassador, a scholarship program the committee is unveiling. The ambassador program opens the contest to boys and girls in the ninth through 12th grades.“While the Strassenbash Queen contest was an awesome event, we hope that by opening it up to both males and females and really pushing the college and career readiness aspect, that we are providing a better service for the students and community,” said Box. “Our goal is to build it into a high-value scholarship program, completely run on its own accord.”Starting in April, candidates embarked on a journey of education, stewardship and volunteerism, while being mentored by professional community members. In the months leading up to Strassenbash, students will learn skill building and develop themselves for future college and career plans under the direction of local business and eduction professionals.Box said the goal is for each candidate to take away tremendous value from the experience, even if they do not earn the honor of “Strassenbash Ambassador.”“By the time they take the stage for the announcement of the ambassador, we want each student to leave the program with interview skills, volunteer skills, representation skills, a professional LinkedIn profile and an fantastic resume,” said Box.The Strassenbash Ambassador also will receive a scholarship in an amount to be determined, and likely to increase each year.Box said the winner will be judged based on a variety of criteria, including overall attendance and participation in contest-related events. Those will begin early with a meet-and-greet kickoff, followed by two volunteer days, a “my future” day and the Strassenbash event.For the program, each applicant will need to acquire a sponsor, who will receive frequent advertisement leading up to the event. The cost of sponsorship is $200.STRASSENBASH LOGO