GHC will officially be unveiling its first Student Ambassador Program this fall after being in development since November 2022.

The program was founded by April Cole, president of Phi Theta Kappa and the Student Government Association, and Katie Weatherford, president of the Film Society and vice president of membership of PTK. 

Cole and Weatherford created a PowerPoint presentation for the Student Ambassador Program as part of a catalyst project for PTK, and sat down with GHC administration and President Mike Hobbs to pitch their ideas.

The program will offer students the chance to be involved in a leadership position and will teach them about GHC.

“The ambassadors are going to have two prime directives, which will be to attend fairs or high schools to recruit new students and also to be student representatives at high-level events,” Clifton Puckett, Student Engagement coordinator, said.

Ambassadors will share their own experiences and testimonies to help relate to interested students and make them feel welcome.

“Talking about student life, clubs and the opportunities our college offers is something that makes a student go home and say, ‘I want to go to Georgia Highlands. I heard they had this program,’” Cole said.

Cole found a way to use this opportunity to fulfill Dr. Hobbs’ vision of having a student ambassador program. They began discussing ways to get the project started and how the program will successfully outlast Cole and Weatherford.

“The coolest thing about this project is that I learned how to create a program for a college, how to pitch it to the right people and what it takes to put it into motion,” Cole said. “We all wore our GHC or PTK merch to represent because that’s what student ambassadors do. As a student, it’s been really awesome to see this come to fruition.”

Those who are planning to attend GHC will be able to learn beyond the application process and focus on their interests.

Orientation leaders will be replaced with ambassadors that will take the role of taking freshmen on a tour around every GHC campus. 

“You’ll be greeting students and talking with them in more detail about things, like how they can create their class schedules, what student life can bring them and answering any questions they have,” Puckett said.

Ambassadors will be able to connect with newcomers while giving the perspective of a current student.

“Highlands is full of opportunities to pursue a passion and that’s what we want ambassadors to show. The purpose will be to represent every story of GHC and develop more of an outreach from our students rather than just from adults that work for the school,” Cole said.

Cole said they started making a 25-to-30-page training manual for ambassadors last November. Topics include target audience, what GHC provides, how to present oneself as an ambassador and public speaking tips. It will be finalized and given out to each ambassador in the fall as another initiative to get them prepared.

The beta group that is currently active will be mentoring the new wave of ambassadors that decide to join this fall.

“I am so grateful for the volunteers that have worked so intently to make this all come together. I’ve sat with the recruitment team at events to kind of study where ambassadors fit in this whole thing,” Cole said.

Contact Cole at [email protected], Weatherford at [email protected] or Puckett at [email protected] for more information on how to become an ambassador. 

“My personal vision is for these new student ambassadors to come up with their own ideas on how to connect with the community,” Cole said. “Everyone has a place to pitch their ideas and that is so important.”