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Every year, 20 University of Maine students make it their business to welcome incoming freshmen. These students, officially known as Student Ambassadors or Team Maine, dedicate several weeks in June and August to promoting the UMaine campus and helping first-year students adjust to the challenges of college life.
Kevin Child, a graduate assistant who coordinates orientation, said the purpose of the organization is to provide a wide variety of possible contacts for first-year students. “If a first year is looking to join a group, they should be able to relate to at least one of the ambassadors,” Child said.
He went on to say that Team Maine looks for students of all ethnicities, majors, colleges, ages and hometowns. All that is needed is enthusiasm and dedication.
“I decided to become a Student Ambassador because I wanted to be better at public speaking – being an SA greatly improved my public speaking skills. it is a social experience; it really creates a lot of personal growth and change,” said Walter Lazarz, a construction management technology major.
The role of Team Maine is to work with first-year students at orientation and the Fall welcome weekend, but those who want to get more involved on campus can pick up extra hours giving tours and helping with open houses.
“Some people might think we fall off the face of the earth [after Freshmen Orientation] but most of us go off and join student groups. Even after the first day of class, we still can be used as resources,” Child said.
The selection process is highly competitive and is handled by Liz Downing, coordinator for Student Programs and Team Maine.
Applicants attend one of several information sessions offered in November and also make appointments for interviews. Applications can be picked up at the meeting, which are due before winter break.
Ambassadors from the previous year are given the opportunity to return if they wish. Child said that Team Maine typically has about eight returnees.
Student Ambassadors is not a program unique to the University of Maine. Each year, Team Maine members have the option to attend the National Orientation Directors Association Conference, which brings similar programs from around the country to discuss what is happening at their colleges.
According to Child, the conference is a place to network and share ideas. He added that UMaine has one of the highest-rated programs and other schools often borrow ideas for their own orientations.
This year the regional conference, which includes teams from New York, New England and all of Canada, will be held in Portland.
Many ambassadors join the program out of a sense of gratitude for the University and all the opportunities they have had.
“I decided to become an SA because I am proud to attend UMaine, and I wanted to give back to the college that has given so much to me,” said Haley Labbe, a fourth-year elementary education major.
Child has worked with the program since 2002, and still remembers becoming a Student Ambassador. Child is originally from Houlton, and recalls being overwhelmed by such a huge student population. “A lot of students from my neck of the woods [feel that they get] lost in the shuffle of a large school.” As a Student Ambassador, Child wanted to make a difference and help first-years realize all the options UMaine has to offer.
“The SA’s are really the first connection that most incoming students have to the University of Maine,” said Ashley Robinson, a second-year English major. “We are a microcosm of the University, and we really have the ability to give that first impression of the University to students . (we) get them excited for college in a really positive way.”
