Mia Harris, Tye Loan, Heather Schronce, Sophia Clare Smith and Sydney Mae Smith have been selected as this years Armed Forces Day Ambassadors.

They were chosen from among dozens of applicants and will ride in the 2017 Armed Forces Day Parade. Each will receive a scholarship based on their performance in a competitive application, interview and essay contests.

The Ambassadors program is sponsored by the Bremerton Central Lions Foundation.

Mia Harris was awarded $1,500. She is the daughter of Julie Harris and lives in Bremerton. She attends Olympic High School and participates in several extra-curricular school activities including yearbook; Honor Society; tennis; cross country; CK Skit School; Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA); and Student Government as executive president. She also volunteers for many civic community events including Bremerton Veterans Clinic, Hillcrest Church, and Olympic High School’s annual outreach dinner. Mia is sponsored by Safe Boats International.

Sophia Clare Smith was awarded $1,000. She is the daughter of Leith Daniel Smith and lives in Bremerton. Sophia attends Bremerton High School and is a member of National Honor Society; Link Crew; Sports Medicine Club; Letters from the Heart Club; DECA; and is ASB president. She is on the girls’ varsity soccer, basketball and track teams. Sophia spends a lot of time volunteering in the community with the Honor Society and has helped feed the homeless with her AAU basketball team. She works at Family Pancake House. Sophia is sponsored by Kitsap Bank.

Heather Schronce received $750 and is the daughter of Veronica and Jeff Schronce and lives in Silverdale. Heather attends Central Kitsap High School where she is involved in varsity cross country and track and field. She is in the ASL Club; Honor Society; and Key Club. Heather volunteers at Harrison Medical Center, Central Kitsap Food Bank, Deaf Chat at Café Noir (ASL), Silverdale Lutheran Church middle school camp counselor and high school youth group member. She works at Blu Berry Frozen Yogurt. Heather is sponsored by Rotary Club of East Bremerton.

Sydney Mae Smith received $500 and is the daughter of Melissa and Todd Smith and lives in Bremerton. Sydney attends Bremerton High School where she is active in Link Crew; Key Club; and ASB. She is a member of the varsity volleyball team. Sydney volunteers at Crownhill Elementary School and feeds the homeless at the Benedict House. She is employed with the Law Office of Lynn K. Fieischbein. Sydney is sponsored by AMI International.

Tye Loan received $250 and is the son of Yukari and Daryl Loan and lives in Bremerton. He attends Olympic High School and is involved in a wide range of activities throughout the day. He is the president of the math club; a member of the Honor Society; a mentor at Fairview Junior High School; leader in Olympic High School freshman transition program “Link Crew,” and officer and member of Future Business Leaders of America.

Tye is on the Olympic High School tennis team finished second in 2A in 2015 and third in 2A in 2016 at the Washington State High School Tennis Championships. He works at Kitsap Tennis and Athletic Center in Bremerton. Tye is sponsored by Kitsap Credit Union.

Leslie Kelly is special sections editor for Sound Publishing’s Kitsap News Group.

This story originally appeared in the Armed Forces 2017 Festival Guide, a special section published on May 19 in the Bainbridge Island Review.