Her Campus at Emmanuel is thrilled to present our Student Leader Spotlight Series, a series of articles featuring student leaders from a variety of clubs, jobs and organizations. For this installment, we interviewed Admissions Ambassador Arielle Beninco. Read on to learn more about how she found her passions at Emmanuel and advice she has for aspiring student leaders!
Name: Arielle Beninco
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Class Year: 2020
Major: Biology
Involvement on Campus: Admissions Ambassador, EmmanuWELL Spin, Yoga Club, and former E-board member of MEDLIFE
Her Campus at Emmanuel: Hi Arielle, thank you for speaking with Her Campus at Emmanuel! Can you tell us about your roles on campus?
Arielle: As an Admissions Ambassador, I give campus tours at least once per week and have to work all the events we have for prospective students. I am a “Gold Key” ambassador, so I serve as a mentor to the general ambassadors and help them train to feel comfortable in giving tours. As a Gold Key I also work very closely with Nicole Mollica, the Associate Director of Admissions, to organize and plan all of our open house and Accepted Students Day events. My other activities on campus include yoga and spin, which I each attend 1 evening per week and is a nice way for me to de-stress.
HCE: How did you find things you are passionate about at Emmanuel?
AB: I tried new things that I had never done before and talked to people in my classes about what was fun to get involved in. I took note of flyers and emails sent to me about applying to on campus jobs and other extracurriculars, and I just went for it!
HCE: Do you have any mentors? Tell us a little bit about them!
AB: I would consider my grandmother to be one of the biggest mentor figures in my life. In addition to being a great grandmother, she teaches me about her success within her career, how she achieved the things she wanted as someone in her 20s, and that I can do anything I put my mind to.
HCE: What are some challenges you face as a student leader?
AB: In admissions specifically, I have taken on the role of mentoring the other ambassadors to ensure they feel comfortable with giving tours and talking to prospective students and families. It can be challenging to answer everyone’s questions while also having my own responsibilities, especially at high pressure events like Accepted Students Day, but learning how to act quick and trust everything I have learned has helped me juggle it.
HCE: How has being a student leader helped you?
AB: It has helped me find an identity for myself on campus and feel more productive with my time. Knowing I am doing something for others and maintaining a great position on campus is rewarding at the end of every day.
HCE: What advice do you have for students who want to become student leaders?
AB: Go for it! And if you don’t succeed the first time around, try again next semester. Working your way up to where you want to be is going to be so worth it.
HCE: What would you tell your freshman self?
AB: It is all going to work out, follow what makes you happy and know that everything is a lesson that will make you better.
We thank Arielle for taking the time to interview with us and share her experiences as a student leader! If you are interested in being featured or would like to nominate a student leader to be featured, please email hardingv@emmanuel.edu.