The ‘superheroes’ leading Mason’s tour experience

Colleen Rich — Mon, 19 Sep 2022 16:49:00 +0000

The ‘superheroes’ leading Mason’s tour experience Colleen Rich Mon, 09/19/2022 - 12:49

Tour season is year-round at ��ӽ紫ý, with sessions offered Monday through Saturday, twice a day, every week. The people that help make this happen are the Mason Ambassadors: Mason’s student-volunteer tour guides.

Mason Ambassadors. Photo by Cristian Torres/Strategic Communications

“The Ambassadors are like mini superheroes,” said Carla Goodwin, assistant director of undergraduate admissions and advisor to Mason Ambassadors.

In addition to leading tours for prospective students, visitors, and new Mason employees, Ambassadors participate in and represent Mason’s student population at admission events, student panels, webinars, and photoshoots.

“What's unique about these tours given by current students is that they provide that sentimental and emotional piece about Mason,” Goodwin said. “It’s nice to see what Mason really means to the current students and how it makes a difference for them.”

For Sam Harrison, Mason Ambassadors president and a senior majoring in community health, “college was all about getting comfortable with being uncomfortable,” she said. “In high school, I had a big fear of public speaking, so I joined Mason Ambassadors in 2019 to really improve my communication and interpersonal skills.”

Mason Ambassador Mario Belenfante joined the team as a way to get involved and make connections. Photo by Cristian Torres/Strategic Communications

Ambassadors undergo an application and interview process. Upon acceptance, they go through training, including workshops with offices such as Career Services and Student Success Coaching for individualized academic and professional development.

Every spring, Goodwin said she teaches a one-credit course, called “UNIV 333: Peer Leadership—Mason Ambassadors,” to help Ambassadors get acquainted with various student support services, such as the LGBTQ+ Resources Center and the Office of International Programs and Services.

The training has practical applications for the Ambassadors as well.

Navigating Mason’s various resources and large campus can be overwhelming, Harrison said. And the training makes one comfortable with accessing Mason’s numerous offices and sharing that important information on the tours.

Mario Belenfante, vice president of visits for Mason Ambassadors, said he joined the team as a way to get involved, make connections, and build valuable experience for his communication major.

“I always tell people at the end of my tours that I hope I can make Mason feel like an inclusive, safe place and make Mason feel like home for them,” said Belenfante, who led 78 tours in the Spring 2022 semester.

“Seeing the students that I've given tours to end up at Mason just makes what I'm doing 10 times better,” he said.

Tours are ever-changing, as the Ambassadors work to tailor the experience to students with different interests and as new features are added to the Fairfax Campus.

On-campus visits consist of a 30-minute information session with an admissions staff member, followed by an Ambassador-led campus tour or a self-guided walking tour.

Mason also offers virtual options, including virtual information sessions hosted by an admissions counselor, virtual guided tours led by Mason Ambassadors, and an independent virtual tour that’s accessible any time on the university website.

These virtual options remain important, Goodwin said, as they make tours accessible to underrepresented students and those that may not have the financial means to travel or take time off work.

Due to rising interest in on-campus visits, Goodwin said the goal is to recruit 100 new Mason Ambassadors during this semester.

Students can apply here by September 24.

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For this graduate, exploration and investigation are a way of life

Colleen Rich — Mon, 16 May 2022 20:22:05 +0000

For this graduate, exploration and investigation are a way of life Colleen Rich Mon, 05/16/2022 - 16:22

Mason biology major Natalie VanderNoot says her experiences as a Mason Ambassador made the greatest impact on her. Photo provided

��ӽ紫ý senior Natalie VanderNoot’s college experience has been defined by the supportive community of friends she found in the University Scholars program at the Honors College.

“Many of the people that I now consider my lifelong friends are members of my Scholars cohort,” VanderNoot said.

Graduating with a bachelor of science in biology and minor in health, disease, and culture, VanderNoot is headed to Brown University this fall to pursue a master’s degree in public health.

To VanderNoot, public health is a way to connect science with important social issues. She is particularly interested in the ways chemical exposures early in life or during embryonic development affect child development through adolescence.

Natalie VanderNoot presenting her research. Photo by Evan Cantwell/ Creative Services

"Because these scientific questions are inextricably linked with environmental justice and vulnerable communities, I’ve decided to pursue a public health degree to be a well-rounded researcher,” VanderNoot said.

After completing clinical research at Inova Fairfax Hospital through Mason’s HHS 49 Clinical Research Internship, VanderNoot continued working there through the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program of the Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities, and Research (OSCAR). She enjoyed the opportunity to take on increasing levels of independence and ask her own research questions.

“Natalie is truly, at her core, a researcher,” said Eva Bramesco, director of the University Scholars Program. “Exploration and investigation are her way of life. Natalie is naturally curious, skilled at uncovering and identifying valuable insights, and gifted in her ability to consider a question or issue fully."

VanderNoot made the most of the opportunities that came her way.

“Natalie’s work ethic and flexibility allowed her to create meaningful research experiences during her undergraduate studies,” said Ali Weinstein, associate professor of Global and Community Health. “These experiences have really set her up to hit the ground running in her graduate studies.”

VanderNoot applied the same curiosity and enthusiasm toward her extracurricular activities, which included Patriots for Health Assistance, the Honors College Recruitment Team, and serving as an undergraduate research peer leader in OSCAR.

But she says her experiences as a Mason Ambassador made the greatest impact on her.

“I came to college very nervous about meeting new people far from home, and I joined ambassadors to push myself outside my comfort zone,” said VanderNoot. She is grateful for the people she met and the skills she developed.

Even though Mason is the largest public research university in Virginia, VanderNoot said that the campus feels like a small world. After spending several semesters studying remotely in her home state of New Hampshire during the pandemic, VanderNoot was ready to return to Mason in person.

“I loved coming back to campus and running into people from classes, clubs, my old residence halls, or friends of friends,” she said. “Even at a university so large, it’s impossible to come to campus without running into someone I know. I will miss the sense of welcome and familiarity that go along with that.”

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