What Does Being an Engineering Student Ambassador Look Like?

What Does Being an Engineering Student Ambassador Look Like?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then an engineering student ambassador may be the on-campus job for you! 

Hello everyone! My name is Katie, and I am a fifth-year student dual majoring in Chemical and Biological Engineering and Biomedical Engineering! (check out this blog if you want to know more about Biomedical Engineering here at CSU). I have been an engineering student ambassador for about 2 years now, and I absolutely LOVE my job. Aside from working with an amazing team of staff and students, I have the opportunity to connect with K-12 students all day long!  

Meme about college tours advertising quidditch
Yes, we do actually have a quidditch club and yes, I do say this on tour every time!

As engineering student ambassadors, we are a direct representation for the Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering. In a nutshell, we provide personalized tours of the college of engineering to prospective students. When we are not leading a tour, we host outreach events such as Engineering Exploration Week where students can attend mock lectures, student panels, and various information sessions to help students gain interest in STEM.

Our goals as ambassadors are

  • to welcome students to CSU
  • to provide a plethora of information regarding our wonderful engineering programs
  • to ultimately try to help the student find the place that is right for them

Our goals as ambassadors are to welcome students to CSU, provide a plethora of information regarding our wonderful engineering programs, and ultimately try to help someone find the place that is right for them, whether that’s CSU or another university. The most rewarding part of this job is knowing that you can impact someone’s journey. It’s an amazing feeling when you connect with a prospective student and you can feel the excitement and passion in your conversations! I love walking around campus and seeing a student who I gave a tour to in the past; it is not only fulfilling, but also heartwarming to see the work you do come to life.

Recently, we have extended our resources to be virtual! We engineering student ambassadors offer 1-on-1 virtual chats, live webinars, and live virtual tours. You can find out more about these resources on our Engineering Future Students page.

Student ambassadors Camille and Katie welcome a prospective student to campus
This is a picture of my fellow ambassador Camille and I with Sam Duarte, a now 1st year BME/CBE student, who we gave a tour to back in Spring 2020! Camille and I still keep in touch with Sam :)

Another highlight of this job is the relationship and community I have built with my team and the staff within the Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering.

ESC staff retreat 2019
Ambassadors, Empower mentors, and Outreach team at the CSU mountain campus

Everyone at the Engineering Success Center focuses on student success, both for current and prospective students. This creates an environment that is driven and energized to work in!

In addition to work-life logistics, we like to have fun! Each year, the ambassador team travels to the CSU Mountain Campus for our retreat, where we team-build, step outside of our comfort zone, and create goals for the year. We also go to dinner at our favorite place (Thai Thai’m) and have an end the year celebration! Since COVID-19, we have continued to keep in touch by having virtual game nights! I feel so lucky to work with amazing students who I know I can lean on when times get tough. 

And on top of all of the above, we also amplify our skillset! I am constantly refining my leadership and communication skills. Explaining complex concepts to people of all backgrounds is crucial for this position as you have to communicate engineering terms to younger students. These soft skills are a great asset in addition to technical engineering skills. They definitely have boosted my confidence and public speaking which are transferable to virtually any job in industry! There are so many amazing factors that go into this position, and it is truly a rewarding job to have during school. I love that I can use my passion to help others while also gaining work experience.

Photo: swinging outside my comfort zone through the mountain campus high ropes course!

Ambassador team at Engineering Exploration Day

I feel very fortunate to be a part of something bigger than myself and to have a job that is so fun! I know this is a community that I will have well beyond my years at CSU. If this position is something you may be interested in, keep a lookout for applications through RAMweb! We welcome students of all engineering majors and grade levels to apply! If you have any questions, feel free to email the ambassador team at explore@engr.colostate.edu.

The engineering student ambassador team with their mascot, Walter
Ambassadors creating our team mascot, Walter
Katie Gaughan, ambassador

Author: Katie Gaughan

Katie Gaughan is a 5th year student studying Biomedical / Chemical and Biological Engineering and she is originally from Aurora, CO. In her free time she loves to snowboard, read, spend time with friends, and try local restaurants! Katie hopes to pursue a career in regenerative medicine, where she can research neurodegenerative diseases or focus on tissue regeneration!

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to the engineering ambassador team at explore@engr.colostate.edu!