Photo by Emily Branson: Student ambassador Ashton Baxa (right) gives a campus tour to a prospective student and her parent
By Emily Branson / Staff writer
For any new student walking onto a college campus, it can be intimidating. You’re not sure where you’re going, and there’s maybe a handful of people who you know. All you want is to be able to figure out what you need to be doing and how to get there.
Luckily, the student ambassadors at Hutchinson Community College are trained to help new and prospective students with that.
The ambassadors are a team of approximately 20 students that lead incoming and prospective students on a tour of HutchCC and show them and their families all it has to offer.
“We show them around campus,” said student ambassador Steehl Limon, Hutchinson sophomore. “We highlight some of the things that might interest them with their major.”
In addition to giving campus tours to incoming students, ambassadors also help with enrollment and recruitment days.
“We bring the entire team together the day before our May enrollment day,” said Kat Eberly, Admissions Counselor. “It’s an informal training day. We go over how everything works, and that’s their first exposure to it.”
While the ambassadors first meet in May to get a head start on training, they get the majority of their learning when school starts in August. By coordinating an extensive four-day training session, student ambassadors get the opportunity to talk to instructors and program directors to find out all there is to know about HutchCC.
Instructors will give presentations to the ambassadors that show what they want prospective students to know about their program, which allows the ambassadors to further educate students about the available opportunities.
“We also take our students off campus to see the different buildings,” Eberly said. “Even though they don’t go there with a visitor, we want our students to ultimately have as much knowledge of the college as possible so that they can share it with the visitors.”
By taking incoming students on a student-led tour, it shows a relatable perspective that can help them feel more comfortable asking questions.
“I really like all of the people that come in and are actually interested in learning stuff,” Limon said. “When students and their families come in and ask a lot of questions, it shows that they’re really interested in getting to learn everything they can about the college.”
Having ambassadors that enjoy spreading information and knowledge about HutchCC continues to show the positive impact that students can have on fellow peers and classmates.
“Our ambassadors are vital to the admissions program and recruitment of students,” said Lynnette Hilty, Admissions Counselor. “They are crucial to what we do and to the college as a whole. What they do is of great importance.”
If current or incoming students are interested in becoming a student ambassador, they can indicate it on their scholarship application before the deadline or visit the Admissions Office in the Parker Student Union.