My journey through the Ambassador Program
January 25, 2023
Hi, my name is Alexa (she/her) and I am a fourth-year Computer Science student. Throughout my Ontario Tech journey, I have been involved in many things such as starting OTeaU – the university’s tea club – and working as a TA. These opportunities have helped make my university experience memorable and provided some unique and fun experiences. One opportunity I have been happy to be a part of specifically though is the Ambassador Program, and I wanted to share how it has shaped my leadership journey and how it might for you.
Why I joined the Ambassador Program:
I began my journey in the Ambassador Program back in 2020, during the first school year of the pandemic, and my 3rd year of university. I found the program simply by browsing the university’s websites out of boredom and stumbled on the page. I thought it would be a fun way to get involved and look good on a resume, so I submitted my application. Today, I am a level 3 Ambassador, who has volunteered with a lot of campus events, and I really enjoy being involved in the campus community!
What is the Ambassador Program?
The Ambassador Program is a 4-level volunteer-based leadership program run through Student Engagement and Equity. It allows students to learn skills in leadership, community, and equity while playing a key role in running campus events for current and prospective students. The first 3 levels of the program are focused on learning stuff such as campus resources, public speaking, being a good ally to marginalized communities, teamwork, and more. Level 4 of the program lets you put your skills to use with a group project that you get to share with the community.
My time in the Ambassador Program
As I mentioned, I am a level 3 Ambassador. This means that I have completed 3 levels of training, as well as volunteered a lot in the campus community! My favourite event to volunteer for so far was the 2022 Fall Orientation. It was great to see so many people back on campus and to help welcome the first years into university after years of online school and events. I participate in the program with both of my roommates, and we get to do a lot of events together, it’s a great way to spend some time together while getting to participate more in the campus community. The program has also let me connect with people across different faculties and programs. Overall I’ve learned a lot from my time in the Ambassador Program and I love that I had the chance to make an impact on the campus community while at Ontario Tech.
Top 5 Reasons Why You Should Join The Ambassador Program
There are a lot of reasons why myself and my friends have joined the Ambassador program. These are the top 5 in my opinion why you should join!
- Getting to play a bigger role in the campus community - One thing I’ve always enjoyed throughout my schooling was being involved in whatever was going on. Any opportunity to help out or contribute to the schools I was attending was a pretty fun time for me, and the Ambassador Program is no different! Getting to help put on the events and being known as someone who contributed to whatever is going on around campus is a good feeling.
- Leadership development - The Ambassador Program is a great way to help learn and boost leadership skills that will help you throughout your life, especially as you start to look into careers after graduation. The skills you learn and apply as an Ambassador are very easy to take and apply to other areas of your life as a student, and give you more tools to tackle problems in a collected and organized manner.
- Events - Events are a fun way to get involved and meet new people! The Ambassador Program encourages participation in campus events and activities both as a volunteer, and just as a student. It’s a great way to learn about activities happening around campus or even in the community.
- Level-based program - The Ambassador Program has 4 levels that you can choose to work through while you are at Ontario Tech. The levels give a sort of goal to strive for, and you learn new skills at each level that keeps me engaged and motivated to continue working through the program. The structure of the program is that you complete one level per school year, making it very easy to work your way through the program while further developing your skills.
- Pathways to other leadership roles - The Ambassador Program is the first step for other leadership roles on campus such as Peer Leaders and Ridgeback Mentors. These programs require you to have completed Ambassador Level 1 to participate, so the Ambassador Program becomes a great way to further get involved in other programs on campus.
Learn more about the Ambassador Program
We are also currently recruiting various student leadership positions for the 2023/24 school year.
