Walking the walk, talking the talk

TU’s student ambassadors give the 411 to prospective students

Until you’ve walked a mile in the shoes of a student ambassador, you don’t know TU.

Student Ambassadors lead 90-minute campus tours three times a day Monday through Thursday, and twice daily on Fridays and Saturdays most of the year. Last year 12,000 to 16,000 prospective students and their parents visited Stephens Hall, Cook Library, Linthicum Hall, the Beach, the Glen and other campus sites.

TU’s student emissaries also work with other staff and faculty in presenting the Open House program, and giving customized tours for admitted-but-undecided students during Destination Towson. They lead special tours and present special events throughout the yearfor local high school students and guidance counselors.

“I think the tour promotes TU like a movie trailer promotes a movie,” says Soroush Memarsadeghi, Student Ambassador Association president. “You give students a preview so that they’ll want to come back and watch the whole thing.”

Memarsadeghi is one of over 70 student ambassadors who represent a cross-section of TU’s student body. “We’ve made a concerted effort to put together a group that is diverse in terms of ethnicity, majors and extracurricular activities in order to paint the biggest possible picture of Towson,” says Aba Blankson, associate director of undergraduate marketing and an adviser to the group.

Most students accepted into this very selective program apply during the second term of their freshman year or the first term of their sophomore year. Many stay with the program until they graduate.

Melissa Clark, Student Ambassador Association adviser, joined to show prospective attendees the TU experience from a student’s perspective, without rose-colored glasses. “I came to Towson expecting something completely different and had a really rough first semester here,” says Clark. “But I made it through and learned to appreciate Towson. I decided I wanted to help other people adjust to life here and show them great things about our campus they weren’t aware of.”

For prospective students sitting on the fence with their final decision, student ambassadors can be the tipping point.

“A lot of freshmen have told me that they’ve come to Towson because of their tour,” adds Clark.

“How we make prospective students feel when they visit here sometimes makes all the difference.”

Story by Stuart Zang/Photo by Sofia Silva

[back to main article index]