When I was first interested in the Campus Ambassador role, I figured giving tours was the entire job. I had no idea of all the other roles, or as I like to call them, side quests, that tack onto the title. We cover a vast range of operations, ranging from running the Campanile, staffing the Koret Visitor Center, and executing large community events. While I love giving tours, I’ve really enjoyed dabbling in these other roles as well. I’m still pretty new to “campus ambassadoring” but here’s what has stuck out to me so far.
Learning about Berkeley
This isn’t technically a “job,” but reading and committing the Campus Ambassador manual to memory was an instrumental duty of the tour-training phase. Better familiarizing myself with what Berkeley has to offer was helpful as a first-year student. Particularly, I learned a lot about our plentiful research opportunities, which got me thinking early on about what projects I may want to pursue. While reading the manual was certainly helpful, I’ve also learned a lot from simply working with other ambassadors. Our team covers a pretty diverse range of interests, which means I’m constantly being exposed to exciting opportunities. I've also become much more familiar with the transfer process and gained valuable insight into what majors I’d thrive in by hearing from upperclassmen ambassadors.
Campanile Elevator Shifts
I assumed that Campanile elevator shifts would pass by slowly, but it’s arguably the most fun part of the job. It gives you a chance to engage one-on-one with visitors, which isn’t always afforded on tours. The elevator rides are short, but you’d be surprised by how productive a 50-second conversation could be; I once chatted with a Berkeley alumnus who directed me toward a great research opportunity pertinent to my areas of study. Obviously, not every ride is a convenient networking opportunity, but I think it’s always cool to hear where people are visiting from and what their impressions of the campus are.
Attending Staff Meetings
In the workforce, there is generally an accepted consensus that mandatory staff meetings aren’t a blast. However, I think our monthly meetings are an exception. I look forward to ours because it's a great chance to catch up with anyone I haven’t worked a shift with in a while, and because of how uplifting they are. We always have a few slides dedicated to kudos, where we can give little shoutouts to other ambassadors. We also celebrate those with timely birthdays and honor someone as ambassador of the month.
Working the Koret Visitor Center
I am very Gen Z in the sense that I much prefer texting to phone calls. At my old job, I worked on a project where I would call businesses for hours straight, which at the time was the most anxiety-inducing task. However, it took very few KVC shifts to remedy this fear, and I actually enjoy answering the phone now. Beyond manning the desk phone, you also get to check in visitors for tours and help out any walk-ins, so like elevator shifts, there is ample opportunity to meet and talk to visitors. This semester I have a KVC lock-in shift, and it's become a cherished part of my weekly routine.
I was only hired in the fall, so I am yet to hit some other ambassador milestones, like giving admitted student tours and working summer shifts. We also have Cal Day coming up in April, which I’m super pumped about. Like our admitted students, it will be my first Cal Day experience so I’ll easily be able to match their excitement.
If you couldn’t tell, I enjoy my job and it has already become a highlight of my Berkeley experience. Giving tours is fun, but the Campus Ambassador role offers many other great opportunities. If my enthusiasm is rubbing off on you, then consider applying next fall!