Volunteering as an Admissions Ambassador

            This semester at ETSU, I had the privilege once again to be an Admissions Ambassador and give tours to prospective students. This semester’s tours have been a lot of fun; there have been so many interesting people I have met and given tours to, as well have having winter weather tours in the snow. It is nice this semester to give tours, especially because I am comfortable with the route and information, so it is easier to relax and really give the people a personalized, fun tour.

            I have met all sorts of people on the tours. I’ve given tours to students and parents from all over Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, Florida, and I had a group all the way from California majoring in everything from physical therapy to bluegrass. Most people are very nice and easy to talk to, others are more quiet. I had a mom and her two kids come for a tour the other day, and the mom had actually gotten her Master’s degree at ETSU years beforehand. That was a cool experience because she talked about how different it was. Many major structures present on campus now were not there when she was a student, so she was really excited to see how much it had grown. She also gave a lot of interesting stories and pointed out buildings she used a lot back when she came to ETSU, so it was great to get that insight on the history of the school. Another group I had was a daughter and her parents. This was back during March Madness, when ETSU’s basketball team made it into the bracket and went to Florida to play the Florida Gators, which was huge for our school. The family was actually from Florida, and it was funny because they were conflicted on who they should root for as they were both Gator fans and Buccaneer fans. A special feature of ETSU is our Bluegrass program, which brings in people from all over the country and out of the country. I had a family from Virginia come, and the son wanted to major in Bluegrass. Well, out of all the Admissions Ambassadors, I think I am the only one who has bluegrass experience, as I play six instruments and am part of the Mandolin Orchestra on campus. They had a meeting with the Bluegrass head, so their tour had to be cut short. So, it was a fun experience to be able to give him my personal experience with the program and to show them the specific bluegrass building and practice rooms, something they wouldn’t have gotten if they were with another Ambassador. Overall, I have never had a tour group I did not like. Everyone has a different background and history, but they all are trying to find the college that fits best for them. The fact I get to help with that is such a rewarding and fun experience!

            I thoroughly enjoy getting to play a part in these student’s decisions on their journey through life. I have had students tell me at the end of their tour that, because of the tour, they had decided to come to ETSU. That is such an amazing feeling. To have influenced them so much and showed them why ETSU is a wonderful school to where they decided to become a Buccaneer is so gratifying. I love being an Admissions Ambassador. Despite the snowy, rainy, sleety, or extremely hot days, it is always an amazing two hours of my week to be able to volunteer to tours.