How Being a College Tour Guide Changed My Life
How Being a College Tour Guide Changed My Life
Liv is a senior Communication major with a minor in Religious Studies. Throughout her time at Mason, she has been heavily involved in Ambassadors, she has worked for the Office of Admissions, and she has held leadership positions in her campus ministry. Liv is originally from Long Island, NY and will be starting a graduate program at Duke University in the fall.
When I first came to college, I had no idea what I was doing.
As I picked myself up and moved 300 miles to a brand new place with brand new people, to say I was overwhelmed is an understatement.
About a month into college, I joined a campus organization called Mason Ambassadors.
A group of campus tour guides, this organization serves the Mason community by guiding prospective families and high school students around campus, sharing our experiences and stories with visiting families.
While I never imagined myself as a college tour guide, I figured it couldn’t hurt. I could make some new friends and learn my way around campus pretty quickly.
I never thought this organization would change my life so immensely.
Within Mason Ambassadors, we have a mentor-mentee program as a means of integrating new members into the organization, and establishing close relationships between tour guides.
I met my mentor just a few weeks into joining the organization; three years later, she is still one of my closest friends.
From showing me the ropes of giving a tour to guiding me through the ebb and flow of college life, Madi has been like a sister to me since day one. I have come to her with tears, celebrations, and everything in between, and in every moment she has met me with love and friendship.
We have spent countless nights watching movies in our residence halls, taking midnight trips to DC or Wawa, and cramming for midterms and finals together.
When I need someone to talk to, Madi is always the first person who comes to mind.
Madi, along with many others I have met through Mason Ambassadors, have shaped my college experience more than I can describe. I have met some of my best friends through this organization; they have been with me through thick and thin, and some of my most transformative memories of college have been made with them by my side.
As I prepare to graduate in less than three months, I can’t help but reminisce on the best times I have had in college. Whether it is giving a tour, helping to run an event, finding roommates, or simply hanging out with friends, the fact that so many of these memories have come from the Mason Ambassadors community speaks volumes.
Being a part of a campus organization during college has the potential to change your life. The friends you meet in the clubs that you join can become like family, and the experiences you have will shape how you remember these four crucial years.
Without Mason Ambassadors, my college experience would have been entirely different. I never would have met some of my lifelong friends, and I never would have become the person I am today.
Joining a campus organization gave me more than a resume builder; it gave me a second family.
If there is one piece of advice I could give to any incoming freshman, it is to get involved. Join clubs, put yourself out there, and be intentional about meeting new people. Chances are, they might just change your life.
