Just before spring break I sat down with Tabitha Porter, one of our campus Rambassadors. I talked to her about her experience as a tour guide for PhilaU, an important job for the Admissions office. The Rambassadors are in the unique position of being prospective students’ direct connection to campus before they settle in at school.
Tabitha came here to Philadelphia all the way from Sumner, Maine. She originally chose PhilaU because of our architecture program. She also wanted “the whole college experience and to be away from home. I came from a small school so it seemed like it fit!” While the size of PhilaU was perfect for her, Tabitha realized she was “miserable in architecture” and decided to change her major to graphic design. She wishes that she knew what graphic design was earlier because “I probably would have done it in the first place. I ended up shadowing one of the graphic design students here and it was a perfect fit!” While switching majors can be stressful for anyone, it happens all the time and Tabitha’s is just one of many happy outcomes that come with a major switch.
Another big part of Tabitha’s college experience? Working in the Admissions office as a Rambassador. She is currently in her second year of being a Rambassador, a job that she always wanted. She says that “I really enjoyed my tour when I first came to visit, so I always wanted to be that person that was one of the first people you meet when you come into the school. I love going here, so it’s also pretty easy to tell them why they should come here.” Being a Rambassador can be a learning experience as well. Tabitha was able to learn “how to be more confident. I was super shy before being a Rambassador and during my first tour I was so nervous. After giving tours and working here I’ve gotten a lot more confident with public speaking and just talking to people.” Just from talking to her you would never know that she used to be so shy. Her bubbly personality shines through in tours and may have had a hand in her being able to do something not many can say they have done: dumping ice on President Spinelli for the ASL Ice Bucket Challenge. When I asked her how this happened, she explained that “in my freshman year they picked someone from each class at random and I was who they picked!”
Before I ended my interview with Tabitha, I decided to ask her what advice she would give to anyone who wanted to be a Rambassador. The applications went out in February and there may be many students anxiously waiting to hear about whether they’ll be able to join the student admissions staff as Rams next fall. Her response should ease anyone’s mind – she says “don’t be shy! We are all a family and very welcoming. Also, don’t be scared to answer the phones in the office, it’s super easy once you do it.”