If you were to tell me three years ago that I, of all people, became a campus ambassador for Berkeley, giving out tours for 20 or so people, I would have laughed at you and called it a nice joke. Truth be told, I was one of the most introverted people you’ll ever know. In high school, I always kept to myself. I was your typical wallflower who loved to draw in her own little corner and make webcomics about my own characters. Drawing was a way for me to express myself and get my ideas out there when. I was a girl who had big ideas and big dreams, but I just didn’t find the need to befriend people like that and talk about myself. At some point, I was just honestly insecure. Maybe because I thought I could never live up to other people’s expectations. Socializing was just difficult for me to navigate, especially at a period when I had just immigrated in fourth grade of elementary school from the Philippines. I always felt a little different. The way I was raised, the way I talked with my slight Filipino accent, and my creative interests that I found solace in. I think those factors had to do a lot with why I never really pushed myself to get out there. I always had this feeling that I’d never fit in like the others.
I’m still glad I made friends when I was younger who had the same creative energy as I did. We pushed each other a lot with our art, and we grew to become really good friends. In my junior year of high school, we actually ended up joining drama club together. I have never really done something like this before, performing for a musical and all. This was a pivotal moment in improving my confidence. I remember being very scared, with the light in my face and hundreds of people watching me perform on stage. This was my breakthrough and my process of finding my voice.
Once I started college in Fall 2024, I was desperate and really needed to find a job. One of my first times being on campus, I saw the UC Berkeley Campus Ambassadors tabling on Sproul Plaza advertising that they were hiring, and so I applied. In hindsight I honestly didn’t think this through, but I really needed to apply for a job as soon as possible. It honestly happened very fast, and I then found myself auditioning for the tour guide job. Eventually, I was in and they had me trained for a whole semester. I was honestly just questioning how I ended up in this position. I mean, other than theater, I never found myself projecting my voice as loud as I can, walking around campus backwards! I still remember my first tour evaluation. I was challenged to remember everything about the campus, the colleges, majors, housing, the dining halls, building names… and I had to give the tour for 90 minutes, walking backwards along a route I would take if I were to give an actual tour. It was a one-on-one evaluation with one of the Leadership Team members. I was so nervous that I ended up finishing the tour 20 minutes early. I remember him asking me how I thought I did, and I thought I was screwed. I ended up passing, and I honestly cried from relief. I just couldn’t believe that me, Nadine, was able to do a comprehensive tour about Berkeley even though I was only a first-year student. I knew more than I thought I did. And this was when I knew that I was capable of doing things that were foreign to me. Three years have passed since I applied for campus ambassadors, and I have shared my story in Berkeley to thousands of people from all around the world. May it be giving out my 90 minute tours to one person or a group of twenty, I became a voice for the campus and a voice people can listen to. But funny enough, even though I became louder than I was back in high school, I am still introverted. I love to keep to myself, but, compared to before, I became more confident and stopped letting my insecurities bog me down. I made more friends and learned to just be me! My voice was worth being heard and it is as valuable as anyone else’s. Just know that introverts can be tour guides too.
Author: Nadine Osorio
Hi! My name is Nadine, and I am an architecture major here in Berkeley. I am a first-gen student and immigrated from the Philippines back in 2015. For activities, I am in the National Organization of Minority Architects Students (NOMAS), a cadet in the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC), and of course a UC Berkeley Campus Ambassador. I love to draw, make webcomics, and animate from time to time for fun. I am also an avid movie watcher, especially when it comes to anything animated! Hiking is fun as well.