It takes a specific kind of person to represent Covenant well to prospective students and families who come to visit. I had seen our admissions student ambassadors around campus before, but wasn’t sure if I would ever have the opportunity to become one of them. At Covenant, each campus guest receives a personalized visit complete with a campus tour, classes to sit in on, lunch with a current student, and a meeting with a professor and/or coach of interest. These schedules are made with careful consideration to offer the best possible experience for any amount of time that the prospective student is able to spend with us. So when I was asked to join the Admissions Student Ambassador program, I said yes instantly because I wanted to give other students the best experience possible while they were guests on our mountaintop, especially students who might not easily picture themselves at Covenant. 

A Mission of Inclusion

A little more background about me, during my own college visit process, I often found myself with student tour guides or ambassadors who were nothing like me, and it was hard for me to envision how an African American, like myself, could thrive at small Christian colleges. That may not seem like a big deal to most people, but it can be the difference maker in today’s social climate. Last year, Covenant’s visit staff hosted a panel of Covenant’s minority students to talk to a group of local students who were visiting from a predominantly Black populated high school. When asked, I agreed to participate, rather hesitantly at first, because I didn’t want to sign up to be the representative of a minority race on campus. However, when I was able to eat lunch with some of the students after the panel and take some of them to class with me, I was reminded of how important it was that these students can see how someone more like them could thrive at a place like Covenant, which is a predominantly white college. During this time, the Lord laid the desire to do more of this kind of work on my heart, which is why I jumped at the opportunity to become an admissions ambassador.

Experiencing Intentionality Full Circle

Now that I am a student ambassador, I get to help build and customize campus visits and can appreciate the intentionality necessary to planning an effective experience. For sneakPEAK, Covenant’s preview event, I worked as an overnight host and student panelist. The student who spent the night with me was from an area that only sent its students to historically Black colleges and universities, and it was a miracle that she heard about Covenant at all, as I came to find out during a discussion over dinner with her and her family. They were relieved that she had been placed with me because one of her biggest anxieties was that someone like her wouldn’t thrive in college. I was deeply moved because this confirmed for me that I was doing what the Lord intended me to do by taking this position. 

Connections that Last

The most important part of my job is forming a memorable connection with each prospective student I interact with, whether that happens while leading a campus tour, eating lunch, or hosting a student for the night. I had the opportunity to be at the first-ever Chattanooga Night on Admitted Students Day where I found myself sitting with a girl who was on the introverted side, braiding her hair and just getting to know her story. She opened up to me, and her story was very similar to mine. Both of us had grown up as adopted children in families that are different races than us, and although she and I were different races, we were able to connect on a deep level. At the end of the night, she gave me a big hug and said she’d always remember the experience of being known even if she decided to go elsewhere. 

Career Preparation Opportunities

Not only do I get the joy of being part of someone’s first time at Covenant, my fellow ambassadors and I also have the chance to gain hands-on experience of working in a professional office and learning transferable skills, like how to do all things Google workspace and planning well-executed large-scale events. For example, the ambassadors played a huge role in helping the inauguration of President Brad Voyles go smoothly by spending time with our treasured alumni, the friends and family of President Voyles, and, when it rained cats and dogs on inauguration day, we were outside with raincoats holding umbrellas to protect the regalia of all who came to attend the momentous occasion.

First impressions and interactions are integral to the first time anyone sets foot anywhere, and I’m so blessed to be part of that for our prospective students and families. I’m grateful for all of the dinners with faculty members I’ve had, speeches I've given at scholarship weekends, lunches with board members who wanted to hear about my experience as a student, and panels I've sat on to answer questions from prospective students and parents—all of these opportunities have allowed me to take a step back and realize how much I have grown because I came to Covenant College. The admissions ambassador program has been a blessing to me in more ways than I can count.

To learn more about opportunities like these for Covenant students, visit our student leadership page.

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