Last semester, I was hired as a student ambassador for St. Bonaventure’s office of admissions. On a surface level, I just give tours to prospective students and do little tasks around the office. After almost a year of being an ambassador, I’ve learned that it’s so much more than that.
This semester has opened my eyes, given me amazing friendships and spectacular opportunities, and much more.
My first takeaway was the conference I attended in September. My boss, three other ambassadors, and myself drove from Bonaventure to New York City. The drive itself was a defining moment for how the rest of the semester would go.
The drive was six hours long, but those six hours flew by. We learned right off the bat that we all like similar music, which made the drive so much better. In my opinion, the music determines the mood of a road trip. The drive overall was us getting to know each other better and getting pumped for the conference.
That night, we stopped in New Jersey and grabbed dinner. The way we chatted and felt comfortable around each other made it feel just like a family dinner. The food was also really good.
The conference was held at St. John’s College in Queens, NY. It involved presentations given by student ambassadors from other colleges giving tips on how to expand the programs.
We took a lot from that conference and hoped to bring all our new information back to Bonaventure. One of the biggest takeaways I had was how close I became with my boss and the other ambassadors. It’s a beautiful friendship that I don’t want to end.
Another takeaway from this semester was participating in office hours. Office hours are giving tours and doing tasks around the admissions office a few days a week for a semester. I had my office hours with an ambassador I went to the conference with, so it wasn’t awkward at all. We, of course, would yap for the two hours, but we would also help each other with tasks when we didn’t have tours. I don’t know why, but having that support made us both better ambassadors.
We would also joke with each other when we went on tour at the same time. There would be the occasional “Are you following me?” or “Oh yeah! I forgot to mention that”. Our guests loved it and we loved it as well.
Office hours also held a special place in my heart with the families that went on my tours. I’ve had a few prospective students not really like the campus, which happens. I get it, I went on those tours myself as a prospective student. But there were the select few that I watched fall in love with Bonaventure the same way I did.
There was one family that consisted of the student, both parents (both alumni), and their younger son. The son really wanted to see the Reilly Center and our men’s basketball team — and to make a long story short: he did. Watching his face light up was amazing.
I love being a student ambassador, especially when I get to show off my favorite place. If you are ever contemplating becoming an ambassador — do it.