Between navigating the campus, buying textbooks and registering for classes, being a new student can be a little intimidating. The Weber State University student ambassadors are one resource to new students that make all of those things easier to handle.
“Ambassadors are here for the students; that’s our job and we all love to do it,” said student ambassador Michelle Garret. “If anyone has any questions they can come up and see us in the Student Recruitment and Orientation office and we’d be more than happy to help them,”
On Friday, Aug. 19, the student ambassadors held an orientation for new students from out of state and some even out of the country. Along with a new school, these students also have new homes on campus they need to adjust to.
“The tour of campus has been the most helpful part,” said sophomore Aaron Roth, who recently moved from Indiana to attend WSU. “I didn’t really know where anything was so it was good to see all of the buildings.”
The students were divided by their majors and then talked to their counselors. After that, they were taken on tours of the campus, shown how to register, and told where to go to buy books and parking passes.
“I like giving the campus tours and getting them excited about Weber,” said admissions ambassador Kellie Aldridge. “I had a kid in my group who had never seen mountains before. It’s fun to see them in this whole new world.”
Along with the tours, the students had to move into their dormitories and meet their new roommates as well.
“Today is their orientation, their move-in date, everything,” said admissions ambassador Shalese Kapp. “It’s fun to see them get excited and they leave feeling like it’s a going to be a good year.”
Several orientations are held each year for both fall and spring semesters. Over the summer, the ambassadors hosted nine orientations, including one at the Davis campus. It is estimated that around 300 new students attended each of these, which means the ambassadors need to be well organized.
“They take a few months to plan because you have to get everything on campus involved,” said Garrett. “You have to notify all 230 clubs, and plan with Sodexo for the food and the event planners for the ballrooms. We also have our 22 ambassadors that we have to get on board.”
Planning and attending orientations aren’t the ambassador’s only tasks, though. Their process of helping new students often begins far in advance at the recruiting stage. The ambassadors visit local high schools to help promote WSU.
“We see the students in the high schools when they’re first learning about Weber and they come and are admitted. Then we see them actually come and register and become a wildcat. That whole process is so neat to be able to see,” said admissions adviser Crystal Giordano.
If any new students are looking for tours or questions answered, the student ambassadors are here for them. They are located in room 210 of the Student Services building on campus.
