The first week of classes was a blur. It included a server meltdown,many syllabi, and much more homework than I could have ever anticipated.This was also my first week as an ambassador at the University of Cincinnati Blue Ash College. I am starting to get an idea of what some of the events I will be working will be like and what it’s like to balance school, ambassador responsibilities, and my other job. After a meeting with myleadership role mentor Sarah, I am also starting to discover more about my role as Career Peer manager. While I did not work a ton of events this week, the ones I did work were very insightful to how I can help others in this role.

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Sweets with SOLs was by far my favorite event I participated in this week. The first week of classes is stressful for everyone and by being there to pass out cookies to familiar faces, I was able to realize how important it is for everyone to have a friend in college. I was able to talk to a few students who were in my orientation groups throughout the summer and ask them about their classes and help them find their way around campus (by far the most asked question is “what and where is PAVD?”). Some were just happy that I remembered them and that they had someone to talk to (I was just happy they remembered my name, to be honest). This event impacted me by realizing how many people me and my fellow SOLs helped this summer during orientations. Orientations could be so hectic at times that I could lose focus of our goal which is to make students feel welcome. I always hoped that a majority of the students felt this way, and this event showed me that they did! 

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Other than Sweets with SOLs, I worked a lot of Welcome Desk shifts this week and I came to love them. Being the first-person students or guests see when they walked in reminded me that first impressions really do matter—and by just smiling and saying “good morning” you can instantly make someone feel more welcome. I feel like I was able to make an impact through these shifts because I was able to answer so many questions that many first-year students have and help to point them in the right direction. I know as the semester goes on these shifts won’t be as busy, but for right now I love being able to help students become more acquainted with our amazing campus.

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Now onto the student side of things. My classes started off behind after the issues with BlackBoard on Monday, so we had to hit the ground running on Wednesday. I won’t bore you with facts about opportunity cost or describe what is considered an asset. I do, however, have a fact that I learned from microeconomics: economists have found that seatbelts actually cause more traffic accidents. This is because most people drive more reckless with the seatbelt because they consider themselves “safe”. Crazy stuff, am I right?

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This week has showed me that while I am going to be really busy this semester, I am going to help so many students throughout my role as an ambassador. I hope that I continue to make an impact on those around me and I am excited to see what else the school year holds!