Being an ambassador for a brand while in college has been an incredible experience that more should take advantage of. I am an ambassador for Bearpaw, “a brand of footwear founded by Tom Romeo in 2001 [that] created the campus ranger program to spread awareness of the brand around different college campuses” (Elon News Network). The Bearpaw Campus Ranger Program allows students to gain valuable experience in various skills, such as marketing, social media and production management. As the Campus Ranger at the University of San Francisco, I have learned a lot from this opportunity and would like to share more about my experiences as an ambassador in this amazing program.
I became a Campus Ranger after finding out that Bearpaw partners with college students through their website. I’ve known about Bearpaw since 5th grade. One day while scrolling for boots on their website, I clicked on their highlights. Once I saw that they were in search of new college students to represent their brand, I was excited to apply. At first I was scared, but you never know until you try.
In January, I applied online, then I got an interview, and I was accepted! I was the on-boarded and met all of the other amazing individuals who also became Campus Rangers. A wide variety of college students are encouraged to apply, regardless of major. As a Communication Studies Major, I was ready to put it to use.
After my onboarding, I received a box filled with goodies to share around campus and to my friends. The first two weeks or so were really fun. I received lots of packages, got to post cute photos and had a chance to meet the founder of Bearpaw.
Being an ambassador isn’t just about having fun with the product and taking cute photos. I also had to promote Bearpaw itself using a number of skills. This required me to post once a week and plan and host my own events. Bearpaw also provides ambassadors with a list of tasks to pick and choose from, and by partaking in these incentivized activities, I earned money!
While it may seem nerve-wracking, being a Campus Ranger helped me step out of my comfort zone and gain an experience unlike any other. I strongly encourage anyone who’s interested to become a brand ambassador to go for it! Anyone can be a representative for any brand as a college partner. Check out the websites and social media accounts of the brands that you are interested in to learn about their specific opportunities.
Although my time as a Ranger is almost over, I would encourage anyone who is willing to put in that extra 10% to submit an application and apply. This experience has changed how I view individuals who do this for a full-time career and I wouldn’t change anything about these past few months. Bearpaw was an amazing first brand to work with as a college representative, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.