اینترنت

برچسب: guides

  • Campus tour guides set the tone for college prospects’ first impressions

    Campus tour guides set the tone for college prospects’ first impressions


    Campus tour guide Owen Short speaks to a group during a tour at Sonoma State university.

    Credit: Emily Uhrich / EdSource

    “First impressions are everything,” according to Sonoma State University tour guide Jennifer Garcia. “For a while, I didn’t really think about how important my first impression impacts tour guests.” 

    As a first line of engagement for colleges, a campus tour can be a game-changer for a student who is deciding between schools. Everything a tour guide says can impact the school, and ultimately it makes a difference for a university trying to maintain or increase its enrollment. An enthusiastic tour guide can sway students and families to that institution, while a good tour can confirm an already positive impression.

    Garcia said she realized her first impression really mattered “when a family recognized me at Seawolf Decision Day a year after they toured the school with me. The family was super friendly, and I [imagine] my good first impression made them feel comfortable even a year later.”  

    Added Sonoma State tour guide Olivia Kalogiannis, “I think the most important part when meeting prospective students for the first time is making a true connection. As a campus tour guide, I want to make the campus feel as personable as I can.”

    Most college campus tour guides are current students themselves; their main goal while on tour is to convince prospective students to come to the school by presenting some of the same reasons that lured them.

    To become a student campus tour guide at Sonoma State, applicants need to show they have a passion for the institution and a willingness to learn. The tour script, the route and the mannerisms are all predetermined and can be taught, as long as enthusiasm and effort are evident.

    Besides giving one-hour tours, shifts for guides might include answering phones in the welcome center, greeting incoming visitors and making gift bags for tour guests. In the spring, when tour season is busiest, guides sometimes lead two or three tours during a shift.

    Tours happen rain or shine, and guides have to be able to pivot at any point during their tour, such as when there’s an obstacle blocking the traditional tour path, or noise necessitates a new route.

    “Nothing really changes for me when it comes to an obstruction with a tour. I just try to make the tour seem as normal as possible. For example, if I have to change the route because it’s too loud, I’ll just direct my group into a space that is quieter, but I make it seem like it’s just part of the tour,” said tour guide Daniel Beglin.

    The guides see a variety of visitors. There are people who come in by themselves, some bring a parent, guardian or friend, and others bring their whole families. Connecting with everyone matters.

    Kalogiannis understands that the decision on where to attend could be influenced by others on the tour. “I believe interacting with the whole family is just as important as interacting with the student. My favorite part about doing this is getting people excited about college, whether that is a younger sibling, cousin or even the grandparents.”

    The most common tour-takers are those who are excited, have many questions and can’t wait to be a part of the campus community. These types of tour-takers are some of the easiest to spot for guides because they come very eager and excited to be on tour. But plenty of tour-goers are more reserved people who may have a lot of questions but don’t ask them, at least not in front of the whole group. 

    And occasionally, guests come in with negative attitudes about the school or are loaded with difficult questions. Guides still try to convince those tourists that Sonoma State is worth considering — answering tough questions truthfully — while trying to showcase the school in a positive light. 

    “When it comes to people with negative attitudes, it automatically makes it more difficult for me. No matter how hard I try, they still can just deny or put down everything I say. Nevertheless, I try not to let it affect me. My goal is to make the tour as enjoyable as I can for everyone,” Beglin said. 

    For people with difficult questions, Beglin said, “I try to answer them to the best of my ability, but I don’t want to give anyone the wrong information. So if I can’t answer it, I direct them to where they can get the correct information.” 

    Kalogiannis assesses the personality types on her tours quickly. “I try to talk to everyone; after that first interaction, I get an idea of what their vibes are for the tour.” 

    When tour guests aren’t as interactive as she would like, she pulls back a bit. “If people still aren’t engaging with me, I will kind of just let them be, [hoping] that the small interaction with me will lead to them being more receptive and asking questions later on the tour.” 

    Sonoma State tour guide Emily Uhrich sees her role as that of a mentor. “My favorite part about being a campus tour guide is meeting and helping (the visitors). I like being a mentor, especially for those who are first-generation, like I am. I want to help them navigate college because I know it can be very confusing if you are the first in your family to go to college.”

    Former tour guide Sean Kenneally has parlayed his role, post-graduation, into a job as an outreach and recruitment counselor for Sonoma State.

    “Growing up in Southern California, people tend to lean toward ‘big brand name’ schools like Harvard, USC and NYU,” Kenneally said. “I took this job because I truly enjoy talking to prospective students and showcasing the opportunities a state education can provide. I think it’s important to show that the CSU system is a viable and accessible option for higher education.” 

     

    Javier Hernandez graduated in May with a degree in communications and media studies from Sonoma State University. He is a member of EdSource’s California Student Journalism Corps and has worked as a campus tour guide since the fall 2021.





    Source link

  • Community college students serve as basic needs support guides for peers

    Community college students serve as basic needs support guides for peers


    Xavier Navarro, left, was a student ambassador while attending Santa Ana College. In this photo, he was tabling with his adviser, Hope Nguyen.

    Over 50 community college students in California currently serve as resource guides for peers in need of stable housing, food access and other basic needs.

    The students are part of the California Community Colleges’ Student Ambassador Program, which trains students to share information on available resources, including CalFresh and housing stipends with their fellow students. The program uses peers to share such resources in an effort to reduce the stigma around accessing basic needs services.

    “They’re students on the campus, on the ground floor, knowing what students need, knowing how their campus operates, what works, what doesn’t,” said Yuriko Curiel, an ambassador program specialist.

    The need is acute. According to a recent report by The Community College League of California and the RP Group, only 32% of the 66,741 students who responded to their survey felt secure in meeting all their basic needs. Over half of respondents were concerned about running out of food; 3 out of 5 students experienced housing insecurity, and 1 in 4 reported experiencing homelessness.

    Anecdotes from two recent student ambassadors, Adela Gonzales and Xavier Navarro, highlighted the program’s impact.

    Gonzales said in a recent interview that she spoke with a student who was on his way to a Riverside City College parking structure where other students had died by suicide. The student told her that he was heading there because he was contemplating doing the same. But on that day, he came across Gonzales, who was handing out pamphlets regarding various student services, including mental health support.

    Adela Gonzales was a student ambassador for two years at Riverside City College.

    “I was able to talk with him … give him a little bit of validation, and then walk him to the Student Health and Psychological Center,” said Gonzales, who is studying biochemistry and sociology. “I still message him here and there to see how he’s doing.”

    She said what most stood out in her work as an ambassador was how only a few students were aware of the campus’ psychology center or their crisis text hotline. Her interest in supporting other students prompted her to join the program two school years in a row.

    At Santa Ana College, Navarro was working at the campus food pantry when he met a fellow student veteran, named Louie, who didn’t have a home.

    Meeting Navarro, who was a student ambassador at the time, led to Louie being quickly connected to resources, including a housing voucher to book a hotel room for about a month, food assistance via CalFresh, a free bus pass, and a job at the same food pantry where he met Navarro.

    “He was hurting, and it hurts you as a person because you want to help … and now that you have the tools, why not?” said Navarro, who is now an accounting student at Cal Poly Pomona University in Southern California.

    It was Navarro’s own experience as a veteran that helped facilitate the initial conversation with Louie.

    “We care about the students, we want the students to succeed,” Navarro said. “Because college is hard, it’s expensive, and it can be challenging. Not having a home, not having food. … Caring goes a long way, especially for a college student.”

    Students’ identities are crucial in connecting with their peers, said Curiel, the program specialist who was an ambassador before she graduated from San Bernardino Valley College.

    Yuriko Curiel was a student ambassador and now works as a specialist for the program
    Courtesy of Yuriko Curiel

    “Not only are they connecting with peers, they’re connecting with people who reflect their own community,” she said, noting that Navarro is a veteran; Gonzales, a former foster youth; Curiel was balancing work and school as a single mom during her time as an ambassador.

    Ambassadors also often understand being food or housing insecure. Gonzales and Navarro, for example, both relied on CalFresh in the past. Gonzales also received a housing grant while enrolled in college because she couldn’t afford her rent after a roommate moved out of their shared apartment.

    Gonzales and Navarro said that a common response they got from students was disbelief that they might qualify for CalFresh, the state’s food assistance program. Complex eligibility rules for students is a known barrier to the program.

    “Not everybody on campus knows what’s available to them and how they can access, and even when they access that, there are still questions,” Gonzales said. “Being able to point them in the right direction and get the right information for them is very important.”

    The ambassador program was launched in 2016. Students who join are expected to put in at least six to eight hours each month, for which they receive a stipend of $1,500 after completing the program.

    The first cohort in 2016 included 20 students, while the current group includes 53 students. Previous groups have included over 100 ambassadors, according to Sarah London, external and executive communications director with the Foundation for California Community Colleges, which operates the program.

    “The fluctuation in numbers is solely based on available funding,” said London. “Ideally, we’d have hundreds of ambassadors every year, so we strive to bring on more philanthropic funders to support and help us grow these efforts in the future.”

    While student support services vary at the state’s 116 community colleges, some examples include CalFresh application assistance, low-cost auto insurance, a mental health crisis text hotline, and emergency financial aid grants, among others.

    Students interested in joining the program must apply for a position and meet eligibility requirements, which include being at least 18 years old, enrolled in at least one unit for the fall and spring semesters during the school year in which they’re applying, and availability to attend a Zoom training.

    Gonzales, Navarro and Curiel were all encouraged to apply for the program by staff members managing student organizations they had joined.

    For example, Gonzales was part of Guardian Scholars, a chapter-based organization on college campuses that helps support former foster and homeless youth, before learning about the ambassadors program. A staff member with the group noticed that Gonzales often took the initiative by sharing basic needs information with her peers and suggested she apply to be an ambassador.

    “I’ve always enjoyed providing resources for all my foster sisters,” she said, adding that joining the ambassador program felt like an extension of what she was already inclined to do in her personal life.

    Student ambassadors use a variety of strategies to reach their peers, such as tabling during campus events, creating social media posts, sending out mass emails about available resources, and presenting to their classmates during class breaks.

    “This is really investing in our next generation of leaders,” Curiel said. “I see our dean of student services coming out of this, our basic needs coordinators, or people doing public policy; I think that’s just the power of the program.”





    Source link