What Does Admissions Look Like this Summer?
I was lucky to return to Colby-Sawyer in the beginning of July to work as a student ambassador for the Office of Admissions. Among a handful of other jobs, I have worked as a student ambassador for the college for the past 7 semesters since the second semester of my freshman year, leading tours throughout the school year and summers. These past few weeks during the pandemic have been a whole different experience.
There are two of us serving as student ambassadors this summer. Bethany Hebert ’22 and I have been giving tours and presenting the college to prospective students over the past several weeks. We work alternating schedules and offer a morning and afternoon tour. We do not have more than 8 people at a time to ensure proper social and physical distancing, everyone wears face masks and visitors undergo the same COVID-19 screening implemented for the entire CSC community. I have really enjoyed working with Bethany and meeting prospective students despite the current circumstances.
Bethany agrees, saying, “I love being able to provide a great first look of campus for prospective students. I’m a first-year RA in McKean for the fall, and I’m thankful I was able to meet some of my residents already. The connections I have made with students, faculty and also Ashley have made everything worthwhile. I love being an ambassador, and continuing with it this summer has been a blessing.”
Visit and Events Manager Leigh Ann Root always joins in on the fun, too. She expresses that having the tours this summer has helped return a sense of normalcy and hope to campus. Jon Conley, assistant director of admissions, adds, “I think these times have helped us sit back, brainstorm, and input new procedures into our Admissions day-to-day planning. It has been helpful to learn more about how we can reach out to students, be more creative and most importantly, more efficient during the year.”
Bethany and I definitely fill our time with more than just tours. We shoot videos featuring local businesses on Facebook and Instagram, along with other content to showcase Colby-Sawyer to prospective students. We send incoming freshman photos and videos of their rooms for the fall, pack and ship freshmen ID cards with personalized notes and Colby-Sawyer sunglasses and film all over campus to create a detailed virtual tour.
I’m so happy and proud to be part of the Admissions department this summer. We each contribute something different to the department: Bethany and I as student ambassadors; Mary Messana as the point of first contact with visitors at the front desk; Leigh Ann Root as our supervisor, organizer and confidant; admissions counselors Kat Gabert, Lily O’Connor and Isabel Price with their knowledge, social media might and easy conversation; Jon Conley and Tom White, assistant directors fielding tough questions; and Vice President Anna Miner as the glue that binds us all together. Follow @cscadmissions on Instagram to keep up with all our efforts, ideas and information.