The Alumni Ambassador Program

Written by Holly Morrison

@holly.morrison

Photo by Saint Mary’s University

An important but often overlooked aspect of any university’s functioning is recruiting prospective students, as well as giving current students a way of discovering their options for after graduation. The SMU Alumni Ambassador Program is one such way that SMU achieves these goals. The aim of this program is to give current and prospective students a chance to connect with alumni and to learn what programs and campus life are like. This provides students with a look into what life is like after graduation, including careers and graduate programs.

The opportunity to become a SMU Alumni Ambassador is open to all alumni, regardless of their program or faculty. The most important trait an Alumni Ambassador can have is a love for SMU and the desire to share their own experiences with students.. There are typically 3 main ways in which an alumnus can participate in this program: speak with students over email, take part in various SMU webinars, or attend information sessions for prospective students. With current COVID-19 restrictions in place, the first two options are preferred for ambassadors, as in-person information sessions are not being held at this time. 

To become an Alumni Ambassador, there is a simple form on the program’s page to be submitted with some basic information, as well as how attending SMU affected both the life and career of an alumnus. A member of the Alumni or Admissions and Recruitment department will then be in contact for a short interview. From there, each alumnus is required to attend at least 1-2 events per year. These can include webinars, contact with a current student, or an information session, depending on what into their schedule. For students looking to connect with an Ambassador, a list of current Ambassadors, as well as a short bio on each, exists here, along with their LinkedIn page, and an email they can be reached at. 

There are currently 22 different Alumni Ambassadors, including The SMU Journal’s executive director, Braden Newell. These ambassadors live all over the world, with degrees ranging from geography to psychology to marketing. With this wealth of knowledge of life at SMU and in the workforce between these Ambassadors, this program seems like an amazing opportunity for students to utilize, and also for alumni to develop volunteer experience working to help current students. 

Another key aspect of this program is the fact that it can reach prospective students from all around the world. With Ambassadors living in places all over Canada (e.g., Calgary, Toronto, Vancouver) and others that currently reside in Yemen, San Francisco, Japan, and the UK, students can get a much more global look at their career field. SMU is proud to be a well-known name for international students, and the Ambassador program is a way to boost that status to students everywhere. 

Photo by Saint Mary’s University.

According to a study conducted by Maroon & White in 2018, a magazine for friends and alumni of SMU, SMU alumni ranked second amongst all other schools in the country in terms of engaging with their alma mater after graduation. This ranking was based on many factors, one of which was involvement as volunteers and attendance of alumni events. It is a safe bet that the Ambassador program contributes much to that score, and it is my belief that it could be the aspect that brings our school up to first place. 

However, this program seems underutilized. This program should be easily accessible and known by the student body. However, I can say that within my three years as a SMUdent, I had not previously heard of this program until very recently. Granted, I can’t speak for all students, but I feel that this program needs to be more widely advertised, not just for soon-to-be-alumni to join as future ambassadors, but for students to have access to these resources, especially for prospective students to get a feel for university life. 

Instead of turning to Google for career advice as many do (myself included), SMU students should be made aware of this program so they can have a much more personable experience when discovering the various career fields open to them. Now more than ever, this is important, given that the labour market has been severely impacted by COVID-19, and alumni who are already in the workforce will have valuable insights that can help students. These insights clearly go above and beyond Google. 

With all this in mind, I believe it is just as important for current students to look into what SMU alumni have to offer for alumni to stay engaged with the school after graduation. I would recommend everyone to take a look at the Ambassador program for themselves, students and alumni alike. Current students may discover an alumnus with a career path similar to one they wish to take, and alumni can share their love of their job and of their school with prospective students. To read more about the program and submit an application to become an Ambassador, check out the program’s page, and for students looking to reach out to an Ambassador, all of their contact info is available along with a brief write-up of each alumnus here.