By Ronica Stromberg
Student ambassadors are meeting School of Natural Resources students where they're at this semester, giving guidance and answers at a table in Hardin Hall. Sophia Rojas and Charlie Krug have been taking turns staffing the table near the Nebraska Maps & More Store on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The school's other two ambassadors, William Cunningham and Jane Jewell, may take a turn later this semester.
Krug and Rojas, a junior and a sophomore majoring in fisheries and wildlife, came up with the idea for the Ask an Ambassador table with Bridget Gross, Kenneth Pyle and Sara Winn, who advise the school's ambassadors. The students knew they could answer many questions of freshmen and transfer students and decided doing so in person would likely work better than by email.
Rojas said meeting with an advisor or professor can intimidate students but having the option to ask another student instead can alleviate pressure.
"You're talking to a peer like a friend, so that's what I've found beneficial," she said.
She had met former ambassador Silas Abarr at a recruitment event at her high school, Papillion-La Vista High School, while considering the University of Nebraska–Lincoln with her family. When Gross asked her if she would be interested in becoming an ambassador with Abarr and Isabella Villanueva, Rojas said yes. She came to the university her freshman year already hired as an ambassador but not knowing if the position paid.
It does. School of Natural Resources ambassadors work four to 10 hours a week on tasks like creating and posting social media posts, making flyers, updating job boards, giving campus tours and helping with recruitment and other events.
Krug said he especially enjoys helping out with the Nebraska Deer and Game Expo in Lincoln because he grew up hunting deer near Russell, Kansas.
"I'm a big people person, so just getting to talk to people about what I like to do is awesome," he said.
He noted that being extroverted is also helpful for ambassadors.
"I think one of the reasons they hired us is because we're so outgoing and we're well-versed in what's going on around here," Krug said. "I think we can pretty much handle or tackle any question that the students bring us."
Read the rest of the story at https://snr.unl.edu/aboutus/what/newstory.aspx?fid=1314