My first semester of college was tricky. I had all this anxiety about passing classes, making friends, getting involved, etc., but it wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. Once I got involved on campus, my anxieties about my classes and making friends vanished, and I became a Rambassador.
I first heard about being a Rambassador at my freshman orientation. My tour guide was so upbeat and welcoming, he told us what it was like to be a student ambassador for Farmingdale State College, and how much he enjoyed doing it. Being a student ambassador, he said, taught you skills that could help you later on in life – things like public speaking, time management, teamwork, communication, etc.
After hearing that, my interest about it was piqued. A little while later into the semester, I met another Rambassador who I have become really good friends with. He spoke highly of the job as well, and wouldn’t stop telling me to try and get involved. But I didn’t listen for a while. Fast forward about a week, and I found out that he and my tour guide from orientation were close. A lot of the Rambassadors are, and the two of them sat me down and convinced me to apply for the job.
From there, I went online, submitted an application, and had an interview the very next day. It all seemed to happen very fast, but I knew I made the right choice. Already, two of the three things I was anxious about for college were solved: I got involved as a Rambassador and made friends through that. I was nervous about the interview at first, but as soon as I got there, all that nervousness disappeared, and the people and the atmosphere were so welcoming. Becoming a Rambassador and getting to be a part of this community is something that words can’t really describe.
Since then, I’ve been in training. I’ve shadowed between 20 or 30 tours, and am in the process of getting the green light to be able to give tours on my own. Once I do that, I’ll be able to educate visitors about life on campus, encourage upcoming students to get involved, give people an inviting experience that they can remember, and even guide students in the direction they need.
As for the third anxiety I had during my first semester, that was also helped by becoming a Rambassador. At first, I was so stressed out about the possibility of not passing my classes, but once I got to know the other Rambassadors, they taught me vital time-management skills that they learned from being a student ambassador for so long. I was taught how to focus on my schoolwork, complete my assignments, and even study whenever I had free time – a skill that I never really had. I was really used to procrastinating.
Since becoming a student ambassador at Farmingdale State College, I’ve picked up a few skills and learned a lot about how to navigate campus life. I can say with absolute certainty that my people skills have grown, I’m better with communication. Working with my fellow Rambassadors has shown me how to work as a team, instead of doing things all on my own, and surprisingly, I now enjoy talking to groups of people. That little task used to scare me so bad, but now, I look forward to talking to the next tour group, telling them all about our campus.
As Rambassadors, we play an important role in campus life. We have the potential to guide students in the right direction for college, and we make impressions on new and upcoming students that shape their decisions for their future. When we give tours, we are showing these prospective students what our college is all about. We are able to help these students feel less nervous about coming to the campus, just as my orientation guide did for me. The experience is extremely rewarding, and unlike anything I’ve ever been a part of.
Becoming a Rambassador was definitely one of the best decisions I’ve made since being on campus, and I can’t wait to see what else being a student ambassador has in store for me.