At the 42nd Annual Youth Ambassador Contest of Pennsylvania, Kristine Yori, representing the Erie Chapter, was named the 2018 Credit Union Youth Ambassador of Pennsylvania. The annual statewide contest was held during the Pennsylvania Credit Union Association’s (the Association) 84th Annual Convention & Expo held recently at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington, PA. Kristine is an assistant branch manager at Erie Federal Credit Union. For the next year, as the Pennsylvania Credit Union Youth Ambassador, Kristine will represent the Association at events.
The Alternate was awarded to Pavel Shuvalau. Pavel is employed as a part-time accounting clerk at White Rose Credit Union. Pavel represented the York Chapter.
Five finalists won regional contests before advancing to the state finals. The finalists completed a written exam before presenting speeches about credit union topics. A panel of three judges selected the winner, tallying scores from the test, personal interviews, and their speeches.
The additional contestants were:
- Montgomery County Chapter — Chistia Akhter of TruMark Financial Credit Union, Philadelphia;
- Shenango Valley Chapter — Caitlin Phipps of Grove City Area FCU, Grove City;
- Harrisburg Chapter — Jillian Devlin of Members 1st FCU, Harrisburg;
The contest judges were:
- Nikhil Lakhanpal, Co-Founder, Narmi
- Eric Earle, Executive Benefits Advisor, CUNA Mutual Group
- Krista Ducharme, Regional Account Manager, LSC
The Pennsylvania Credit Union Association conducts the contest to attract young people to credit unions and prepare them for leadership roles. Credit union members or employees between the ages of 18 and 25 compete and are sponsored by the Association’s chapters. The contestants are judged on their knowledge of credit unions and their ability to communicate that knowledge.
Several hundred young people have competed in the Credit Union Youth Ambassador Contest since the early 1970s. Many of the contestants have gone on to hold volunteer and professional positions within the credit union movement.
Kristine Yori of Erie FCU
PCUA Chairman of the Board Jeff DeBree, Chistia Akhter, Caitlin Phipps, Kristine Yori, Pavel Shuvalau, Jillian Devlin, PCUA President & CEO Patrick Conway