Trojan Student Ambassadors Build Speaking, Leadership Skills

 

TROJAN AMBASSADORS BUILD SPEAKING AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS:

Part of Allegany College of Maryland Recruitment Team

CUMBERLAND, Md. (Nov. 3, 2021) – Allegany College of Maryland has a new not-so-secret weapon in its recruitment office: Trojan student ambassadors. Haley Abrell, Tawni (Thomas) Arthur, Rey Genavia, Hannah Greely, Alexis Kastell and Layton Sagal were selected in August to serve as ACM’s inaugural group of ambassadors.

The ambassadors promote the college to prospective students through their participation in virtual and in-person college information sessions, open house events, high school visits, social media takeovers and marketing campaigns. Students commit to 15-30 hours a semester of work as Trojan ambassadors and receive a special scholarship through the ACM Foundation. They participate in leadership training sessions every other month with ACM instructors and are required to maintain a 3.0 grade point average. They were selected through an application and interview process and trained by recruitment team staff. 

“These six students share a deep passion for helping others, making them a natural fit for our program. Each Trojan ambassador is easily approachable, kind-hearted and incredibly knowledgeable about the college. Prospective students want to know what the ‘real ACM experience’ is like and no one describes that better than a current student. In telling their ACM story, they make college less intimidating for future students and their families,” said Sue Rowan, coordinator of student recruitment at the college. “As our ‘go-to’ students for future Trojans, they’ve had some invaluable interactions. It’s a joy to watch.” 

The college’s current Trojan ambassadors range in age and life experiences: 

• Haley Abrell is a 2020 graduate of Paw Paw High School whose hometown is Paw Paw. She’s a pre-Nursing student whose aunt, a program graduate, recommended ACM for the quality of the hands-on experience and education she received. Abrell enjoys how student-oriented the college is and how she can “ask questions 24/7 and get an answer from either her professor or mentor in less than 24 hours.”
• Tawni (Thomas) Arthur is a 2007 graduate of Keyser High School whose hometown is Keyser. She’s a Human Service Associate and Addictions certificate student who hopes to incorporate her love of art into art therapy and counseling. A nontraditional student, she appreciates how the college’s “smaller size allows for more interaction between the class and instructors.”  She chose the Human Service Associate program for its reputation in the community and the fact that it provides three internship experiences at the community college level.
• Rey Genavia is a 2010 graduate of Morong Nation High School whose hometown is Morong, Bataan, Philippines. He’s a nontraditional Nursing student at the ACM Bedford County Campus. He chose ACM for its affordability and its “fun and caring” faculty members.
• Hannah Greely is a 2020 graduate of Fort Hill High School whose hometown is Cumberland. A Nursing student, she began attending the college during her senior year of high school through ACM’s Early College program. She appreciates the “beautiful location of the campus and the smaller class sizes” as well as its “great academic programs at a great cost.”
• Alexis Kastell is a 2013 graduate of Mountain Ridge High School whose hometown is Frostburg. She’s a nontraditional Sociology Area of Concentration student who chose the college “because it was financially smart to do so” and shares that she’s saved “thousands of dollars” by attending ACM for both of her associate degrees.
• Layton Sagal is a 2020 graduate of Mountain Ridge High School whose hometown is Midland. He’s a General Studies major who appreciates the college’s small campus and how it’s “easy to navigate” as well as its proximity to his home. 

More information about the ACM Trojan Ambassadors program is available. To request a Trojan Ambassador to speak with prospective students, call 301-784-5120.