By Lexi White
Features Editor
Marketing major Kaia Inoa and sociology major Amaiya Roach, juniors, getting ready to show students the Orientation Ambassadors presentation.
The university’s Orientation Ambassador program is eager to recruit new student workers for the 2025 summer session.
Orientation Ambassadors help to guide new students, such as transfer students and incoming freshmen, around campus. These leaders give new students a variety of tools to help navigate the university.
“The session we are holding today is the very first step to becoming an OA,” elementary education major Kaylee Salas, a junior, said. “Students get to meet the current orientation coordinators and get a feel for what the team is like.”
Salas said she has been working as an orientation ambassador for three years and met some of her closest friends through the program. This will be her first year in a leadership position: an Orientation Coordinator.
“I get so excited to come back for the summer because I get to spend so much time with these people,” Salas said.
Students interested in applying for an Orientation Ambassador position must maintain at least a 2.5 GPA and be enrolled as a full-time student. Those who are accepted into the program must be able to live on campus for two weeks over the summer to complete training.
“During orientation, offices across campuses come in and give us presentations about what they offer to students,” Salas said. “I would say the first half of training is just meeting and getting used to the other students that will be working with you.”
The ambassadors give new students resources that can help them when facing difficult situations; whether that be personal matters, health issues or tutoring.
Those accepted into the paid role will be training for two weeks at the end of May and help hold orientation sessions throughout the month of June.
Students listening to the Orientation Ambassador presentation.
There are usually five two-day overnight sessions in June for new students, a parent and family orientation that highlights the resources available to students on campus and one-day sessions for transfer students in July and August.
Those applying for the position must be open to learning and demonstrating the university’s values, have punctuality and show their leadership with enthusiasm and interpersonal skills.
Business administration major Brenea Pagon, a junior, said she has applied for an orientation ambassador position previously and did not get accepted. She said she hopes this year is different.
“It took a lot for me to come to the session today because I was turned down before, but I am not going to let that stop me,” Pagon said. “I am going to apply again because I am really interested in helping the freshmen be ready for the school year.”
Another student who attended the orientation ambassador informative session was accounting major Christopher Pearson, a freshman. He said that being a first-year student makes him want to help other students who will be in the same boat he is now.
“Even though being a new student at a university can be challenging, I want to help students realize that if they stay on-top of their studies, they can succeed,” Pearson said.
