Ambassador#1: Hawa Tarawally
The first day that I met Hawa was the first day of Student Orientation Leader training. From the get-go, I could tell Hawa was a very unique and interesting person. One of the first things I noticed about her was that she was wearing a grey fedora, which I now know she wears all the time, and I think that is awesome. From the early discussions in SOL training, I could tell Hawa was a very passionate and outgoing person. She was not afraid to speak her mind about what she believes in and stand up for what is right! She seemed to be a very helpful and caring individual and I can still see that in her when I work with her to this day
From working with Hawa as a SOL all summer to working with her currently as a Student Ambassador it has all been such a joy. Hawa is a very funny person and is always cracking jokes and making people laugh and smile. Hawa is also a very smart and philosophical person and enjoys deep conversations about meaningful topics. Hawa is an economics major and is minoring in international relations. Hawa is also a very talented person and can sing and play the guitar and piano very well. At the Student Convocation this past summer, Hawa actually performed with her brother in front of all the incoming students and killed it on the piano. Hawa also rides a longboard which I think is awesome since not a whole lot of people do. Oh, and I almost forgot, Hawa absolutely loves Angelina Jolie!
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I know that with Hawa's passionate personality and friendly and outgoing mindset she will do great things her in life. I know that she will continue to be successful while attending the University of Cincinnati and while serving as a Student Ambassador. I know Hawa will have a successful career after graduating from UC and I can't wait to see all of the awesome things she accomplishes.
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Ambassador #2: Brooke Francis
The first time that I met Brooke was in the Admissions Office and it was right before giving a Prospective Student Tour. I remember talking with Brooke while the admissions presentation was finishing up and how friendly and personable she was. I didn't even know her name at the time but I could tell that she was a very nice and hardworking. I saw Brooke multiple other times in the admissions office while waiting to give Prospective Student Tours and I was always happy to see that she was working because I new that she was someone who I could talk to while I waited to give the tour.
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The first time that I was formally introduced to Brooke was on the first day of Student Ambassador training and I knew that she would be a great addition to our team. Since then I have learned a lot about Brooke and had the opportunity to work multiple events with her. I learned that Brooke is a communication major and her goal is to get a job as a professional staff member in the Admissions Office which I think is really cool because of how passionate and outgoing she is. I also learned that Brooke loves dogs and just recently got engaged to her boyfriend!
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I see nothing but success and happiness in Brooke's bright future. I think it is awesome how Brooke already knows what she wants her future career to be and where she wants to work after graduating college. I know Brooke will do great as a professional staff member in the Admissions Office because of how organized and responsible she is! I wish Brooke the best of luck and look forward to spending more time as a Student Ambassador with Brooke!
Ambassador #3: Divya Joshi
The first time that I officially met Divya was on the first day of Student Orientation Training. Believe it or not, Divya and I both went to the same high school and were in the same graduating class but never really knew each other because our school had so many students. When I saw Divya at SOL training, I recognized her name and face but didn't know where I knew her from. I thought she might've been went to Mason High School but I honestly wasn't sure. One thing I can say for sure is that I wish I would have gotten to know Divya sooner because she is an awesome person.
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Divya is studying Pre-pharmacy at UCBA and is also an Honors Ambassador for the UCBA Honors program. Working as a SOL with Divya all summer was a great experience and I love how hardworking and motivated Divya is. Divya does not stop until the job is done and is not afraid to lead by example. Last summer, after one of the resource fairs were over, a few SOLs and I started taking down tables and chairs and putting them back while the rest of the SOLs thought it was okay to get an early start on our lunch break without helping take-down the resource fair or re-organize the cafeteria. After a few SOLs and I took down the resource fair, I found out that Divya put the whole cafeteria back together by herself! This made me feel very ashamed of the other SOLs who did nothing, but so proud of Divya for doing her job despite everyone esle's actions!
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Working events with Divya as ambassadors has been nothing but a great experience. Divya is still very hard-working and helpful and is a great person to work with. Divya makes a great addition to this team and I can't wait to work with her more in the future! I mean just look at her high quality spread of that cream cheese!
Abassador #4: Maddie Munro
The first time that I met Maddie was the first day of SOL training. I remember that my initial impression of her was that she was a very confident, friendly, outgoing, and funny person. As I worked with Maddie as a Student Orientation Leader and Student Ambassador, I realized that this initial impression I had of Maddie could not be more true.
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Maddie is studying Biology and is very involved on campus and works in the Admissions office. Working with Maddie is really a great experience and I always know that when I am signed up to work an event with Maddie, we will be having fun. Maddie has a very energetic personality and is always making people laugh and smile. During the Blue Ash Dash, Maddie encouraged and cheered on the participants by playing loud Hip Hop/Rap music out of a Bluetooth speaker and dancing along to it in her unicorn costume. Maddie also drives a sweet motorcycle and I'm still waiting for her to teach me how to drive it! Maddie can also be found on the intramural soccer field on Mondays crushing her opponent's dreams and destroying the competition.
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Along with being very funny and outgoing, Maddie is also very hard-working and professional. When working an event with Maddie, I not only know that I'll be having fun but that we will also be getting whatever needs done quickly and effectively. Maddie is not afraid of hard work and will do whatever it takes to get the job done. I am excited to work more events in the future with Maddie and I know that Maddie will do great things at UC and after graduating college!
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Ambassador #5: Stephanie bonnell
The first day that I met Stephanie was on the first day of Student Orientation Leader training. This may sound bad, but one of the first things that I noticed about Stephanie is that she was older looking than most of the others on the SOL team. Now, I do not mean that in a bad way at all, after realizing this I gained a lot of respect for Stephanie because I realized that Stephanie may have felt like she didn't belong or that she didn't fit in with the rest of us and that applying for this position and working with all of us younger SOLs may have been a different and somewhat awkward experience for her at first!
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After learning a little bit more about Stephanie from working with her as a SOL all summer I also found out that Stephanie is a mother of 2 kids! This also gave me a lot of respect for Stephanie because I cannot imagine raising two kids, going to college full time, and working. If there was such thing as a real life SuperMom, Stephanie would play that role very well. Not only is Stephanie a great Mom, but she is also a great worker and student. Stephanie really keeps all of her school work very organized and is also very on top of things while she is working. One interesting thing that I have learned about Stephanie is that she also really likes to go camping in the mountains of Tennessee!
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Working as a SOL and Student Ambassador with Stephanie has been such a pleasure! Stephanie is such a great worker. She is always on time, is prepared, is very intelligent, is good at problem solving and critical thinking, and is just an all around funny and great person. I know that Stephanie is going to continue raising her kids the right way and that she will continue to do great things in life. I see nothing but success in Stephanie's future and am excited to see all of her hard work pay off! Last but not least, Stephanie and I will be working as Student Orientation Coordinators together this summer and I am so excited to work with her more and see what great things we will accomplish together!
Stephanie, Sharon, and I at IUPUI's National Mentoring Symposium
Ambassador #6: Leo Thiam
The first time that I met Leo was the first day of Student Ambassador training. Leo was one of the only Student Ambassadors chosen for the position who did not serve as a SOL in the past so I knew that he had to be very active on our campus and knowledgeable about the college, and boy was I correct! My initial impression of Leo was that he was very respectful, outgoing, kind-hearted, funny, and eager to help others who are in need.
Leo is a Liberal Arts major at UCBA and also works in the Writing and Study Skills center on our campus. Leo also participates in the Writing and Study Skill Center's English Conversation Group (ECG) that meets on a weekly basis. From my first hand experience attending ECG, I will tell you that Leo makes a huge impact on the ECG and motivates and encourages students to attend. Leo makes the ECG a joy to attend and creates a very friendly environment. During the week that I attended, Leo even bought everyone there pizza on his own dime. Leo is a very well known person around campus and I like to joke with him that you can't walk anywhere on campus with him without at least a couple people saying hello to him. Leo also rides a longboard and is a very skilled rider.
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Leo is honestly such a huge asset to our team and he is always willing to help others out. Us Student Ambassadors have a group chat where we communicate with each other and can talk about taking or trading each other's events and one time when someone asked for another Ambassador to cover their event, Leo replied something along the lines of: "I have to work at my other job during that time, but if no one can take it for you let me know and I got it". This really showed me how committed Leo is to his role as an Ambassador and how he is willing to make sacrifices to help others out. He also has great people skills and can spark up a conversation with literally anyone. Leo has so many friends all around campus and I don't think I have ever seen Leo by himself on campus. Leo is an all around great guy and I am so glad that I get the pleasure of working with him for another semester. I know that Leo is going to do great things throughout the rest of his life and that he will definitely have fun doing it!
Leo and I, along with some other Student Ambassadors, posing for a picture after the UC Blue Ash Dash
Ambassador #7: Celine Jilani
The first time that I met Celine was the first day of SOL training. My initial impression of Celine was that she was very funny, outgoing, passionate, and studious. Celine is studying Medical Laboratory Science and Pre-Medicine.
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Throughout the first semester and the beginning of the second semester, I've had the pleasure of working many events with Celine. Celine is very responsible, detail oriented, punctual, and always gets the job done without hesitation. Celine was scheduled for the Welcome Desk shift after mine last semester which was nice because I always hung out for a few minutes and chatted with her as she was always a few minutes early. Celine and I were also partnered up to plan an event for a group of students to participate in on the day of Student Convocation which was so much fun. One of the activities that we planned was a dance off featuring new and throwback songs that anyone could jam to including Ice Ice Baby, Fergalicious, Poker Face, Yeah by Usher, and In my Feelings by Drake. Some of the students were a little too shy to dance in front of their peers, but once they got out of their shells and started competing with each other it was hilarious to watch.
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I can only hope that maybe one day Celine and I will get the opportunity to plan and implement an event similar to the one we did for Student Convocation because it was so much fun for everyone involved. I know that with Celine's passion and motivation that she will be successful in whatever path she decides to take after graduating college! Celine is super smart and I don't know how she survives taking all of the super complicated Chemistry classes such as Organic Chemistry. I am enrolled in my first college Chemistry course this semester, so maybe I can convince her to tutor me and pass her wisdom along. Anyway, working as an Ambassador alongside Celine is so much fun and I look forward to working on more projects and working more events with Celine!
Celine and I enjoying a fancy Italian lunch that was catered to us during an event.
Ambassador #8: Gabby Long
The first time that I met Gabby was the first day of SOL training and I could tell from the getgo that she was full of energy and good vibes. Gabby and I actually both attended Mason High School together for less than a year but it was such a big school and such a short period of time that we never actually met each other. Working as a SOL with Gabby was a ton of fun and we really got to know each other better over the summer.
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I couldn't have been more excited when I found out that Gabby and I would continue to work with each other throughout the fall and spring semester as Student Ambassadors. Gabby is such a nice and down to earth person and is she is always willing to help others or take initiative to get projects done. From working together as SOLs to now Gabby is still always the first person to jump up and volunteer to work on a assignment that needs completed. Gabby is a naturally born leader and always brings her positive attitude to brighten up events, meetings, or gatherings. She is also super funny and never fails to make everyone in the room crack up from a funny joke.
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Gabby is an awesome person and I am so excited to be working with her as a Student Orientation Coordinator throughout the rest of the semester and this upcoming summer. From our team's weekend long trip to the National Orientation Directors Association conference to the meetings we've had together so far I can already tell working on another team with Gabby is going to be a ton of fun and I can't wait to see what will come in the future. Keep up the hard work and positive energy Gabby!
Gabby attempting to put my long curly hair into a ponytail while hanging out in the Student Life Office
abassador #10: Kirsten Allen
The first time that I met Kirsten, like many of the other Student Ambassadors, was the first day of Student Orientation Leader Training. The cool thing is that Kirsten was not like any of the other Student Ambassadors because the first time that I met her she was my supervisor. Kirsten was one of the four Student Orientation Coordinators during the time that I was a Student Orientation Leader. My initial impression of Kirsten was that she was very friendly, organized, and passionate.
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After working as a Student Orientation Leader all summer under Kirsten's supervision I got to know her a lot better. Kirsten was a great supervisor because she was always on top of things, she was a great leader and led by example, she knew how to approach and handle tough situations, and she always had our backs. Kirsten was also a great mentor and friend but she knew when to be serious and could get things done.
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After working with Kirsten as a Student Ambassador our relationship has definitely changed and we have become better friends. I give Kirsten a lot of credit because I am sure it was not easy for her to be our supervisors for so long and then work on a team with all of us where she was not our supervisor. Although she was our supervisor for so long Kirsten fit right in with the team and has done an amazing job as a Student Ambassador. I am so glad that I got the experience to work with her because I learned so much from her and she is someone who I can go to and just talk to her about anything. Kirsten is one of the most passionate, determined, and caring people I know and I know that she is going to do amazing things in Social Work.
This is a group shot of us Ambassadors before an event. Kirsten is on the right side in the red polo.