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East High’s Ryah McDonald named Apple Ambassador

East Henderson High School rising senior Ryah McDonald has been named Apple Ambassador

By Lightning reports, Published: May 29, 2025

East Henderson High School rising senior Ryah McDonald has been named Apple Ambassador for the 2025 North Carolina Apple Festival.

“I feel incredibly honored and grateful to be selected as this year’s Apple Ambassador,” McDonald said after learning she was chosen Apple Ambassador. “This recognition is not only a personal milestone, since I’ve dreamed about this since I was a little girl, but also a celebration of our community’s rich agricultural heritage and the hard-working apple growers who make this festival thrive. I am proud to represent such a vibrant and dedicated community and I look forward to representing the Apple Growers Association and my hometown, Henderson County.”
The Apple Ambassador program provides two scholarships each year and is open to all rising seniors in Henderson County.
McDonald, who is the daughter of Brian and Toni McDonald, will attend all four days of the festival and will also represent the festival at the N.C. Mountain State Fair as well as other events across the state throughout the year. She will be awarded a $2,000 college scholarship upon graduation from high school in May 2026. After graduation, she plans to attend a four-year university and receive a bachelor’s degree in nursing. McDonald also plans to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, according to a press release from the apple festival.
This year’s runner-up is Lillyana Galloway, also a rising senior at East Henderson High School. She will be awarded a $1,500 college scholarship, an increase from previous years. The Apple Festival Board recently voted to increase the runner-up award due to the amount of volunteer hours they contribute to the festival, according to the press release.
Reagan Price and Sutton Hughes, of West Henderson High School; Elliot Jackson and Sarah Orr, of Hendersonville High School; and Selah Masterson and Sharlotte Lyda of North Henderson High School were also chosen to represent their schools for interviews. They will join McDonald and Galloway at the festival and on this year’s apple ambassador float.
Applicants for the scholarship are required to submit their transcripts, list of activities, provide letters of recommendation and write an essay on the Apple Festival and the importance of the apple industry to this area. The Apple Ambassador is selected based on this information and through an interview process.
The Apple Ambassador and runner-up are awarded the Evelyn Lutz Hill Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship honors Hill, who served as the secretary of the North Carolina Apple Growers for many years.
The Apple Ambassador sponsor is Champion Comfort Experts, a new addition for the festival.
The Apple Festival is held every year over Labor Day weekend. This year it will be August 29 – Sept. 1 in downtown Hendersonville.