A year ago, Sean Schrader was graduating with an MBA, having built upon his two degrees from the University of South Florida with an array of community service experiences that included serving as campus governor in St. Petersburg. Now, he’s nearly 7,500 miles and more than a dozen time zones away in Osaka, Japan, representing the United States on a global scale at the World Expo.
Inside the Pavilion, visitors are guided through five immersive exhibits that highlight
American leadership in technology, space exploration, education, culture, and innovation.
Photo courtesy of U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Japan.World Expo, which is expected to draw more than 28 million visitors, is a platform for countries to showcase their culture and innovative spirit while fostering international dialogue, cooperation and progress to address shared challenges. For Schrader, the opportunity to serve as a youth ambassador is an unparalleled opportunity to expand his personal and professional horizons and explore the many ways young people can become global leaders.
“A lot of people say you have an MBA, choosing to be a youth ambassador seems very unconventional,” Schrader said in a recent conversation from Osaka. “The opportunity to work with global partners, to work in diverse settings, to work on empowering your colleagues to make a difference — was all in the capstone class I took last April. There isn’t a better real-world experience than this.”
World expos — also known as world fairs — are held every five years and for nearly 100 years have served as significant moments of global exchange, learning and goodwill. The 2025 World Expo opened on April 13 and will run through October, although Schrader’s tenure as a youth ambassador will conclude at the end of July.
“These young leaders will represent the diverse, innovative, and ambitious spirit that America’s youth embody,” said Ricki Garrett, Sister Cities International President and CEO.
The highly-competitive youth ambassador program is organized through a collaboration between the U.S. Department of State and Sister Cities International with the purpose of representing the USA and building peace through public diplomacy. With more than 1,500 applicants for the role, just 88 U.S. youth ambassadors between the ages of 19 and 27 were selected to serve at World Expo 2025.
“These young leaders will represent the diverse, innovative, and ambitious spirit that America’s youth embody,” said Ricki Garrett, Sister Cities International President and CEO. “They are our next generation of leaders, diplomats, and ambassadors.”
This past fall, Schrader spent several months in Munakata City, Japan, teaching English to elementary and middle school students while also conducting research on how government, nonprofit, and business sectors integrate the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals into practice.
Schrader has immersed himself in Japanese culture in his two stints working in Japan.
Last fall, he served as an English teacher to elementary and middle school students.
Photo courtesy of Sean Schrader.Schrader is also serving as a U.N. Global Goals Ambassador for 2024-25 and was a U.S. delegate to the 2023 U.N. Economic and Social Council
Youth Forum, representing USF in New York. “That was the first global exposure I had,”
Schrader said. “I thought: ‘This is a really big world. There’s a lot more to experience
out there.’”
At the World Expo, Schrader’s role is to welcome guests to the USA Pavilion’s immersive experience of American landscapes, innovation and achievements in space
exploration and the rapidly expanding space economy. Collectively, the American youth
ambassadors represent 45 states and speak more than 20 languages.
The Expo’s theme of “Designing Future Society for Our Lives” was reflected in each of the 160 countries and territories participating in the expo. In just the first week, the youth ambassadors at the USA Pavillion greeted and assisted more than 61,000 visitors, including international dignitaries, officials, and representatives.
“I was a USF ambassador for a few years,” said Schrader, who earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from USF in 2022, was one of the Muma College of Business’ 25 Under 25 honorees that year and served as a U.N. Millenium Fellow, a youth empowerment program. “I’m capitalizing off that experience and taking it to the next level.”
Schrader’s post MBA graduation experiences have included a fellowship with the Florida Council of 100; serving as a country coordinator for the Hult Prize Foundation, supporting students in an international competition to build high-impact startups; and serving as president of the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students.
Local Japanese television covered the opening of the World Expo and its theme, “Designing
Future Society for Our Lives.” Photo courtesy of Sean Schrader.Having already lived in Japan, Schrader was accustomed to the cultural contrasts he’s experiencing as a youth ambassador. Not surprisingly coming from the traffic-clogged Tampa Bay Region, the nation’s bullet trains are his favorite feature of modern life in Japan. But there are other surprising differences, he notes.
“One of the biggest culture shocks is whether someone works in a family mart, or is train conductor or a custodian, everyone has the same level of pride in their job, and they are committed to it,” he said.
A delegation from the City of Tampa and USF—including President Rhea Law and USF World Vice President Kiki Caruson—was coincidentally visiting Japan to explore the expansion of study abroad and student exchange programs. Schrader had the opportunity to join the group of Bulls from back home for dinner, adding a meaningful connection to his experience in Japan.
When he returns to Florida this summer, law school applications and “maybe a little more travel” await, he said.