Rave About It - Becoming a Student Ambassador
Hello and welcome to another ‘Rave About It!’ post!
Today, I’m writing about an opportunity that both current and prospective students should be aware of - becoming a student ambassador!
I’ve been a student ambassador since October 2021 and have loved the doors that this role has opened to me. If you’re not sure what it’s all about, I’m going to be informing you on the purpose of the role, the application process, and the opportunities it unlocks!
What is the student ambassador role?
Student ambassadors play a pivotal role in representing the university and most importantly, providing a student’s perspective at events, school visits, open days, workshops and more.
Here at Ravensbourne, we accept student ambassadors from all year groups and courses, as this allows for widespread course knowledge and student feedback.
Typical student ambassador events include open days; where the role involves wayfinding, touring and guiding- however at rave there are always events going on that staff need ambassadors for. One of the biggest of the year happened over the summer with our end of term events and degree show!
The role can include both Recruitment; open days, UCAS fairs- and Outreach, which includes running workshops with schools- with an emphasis on inclusion and education about creative careers.
Additionally, becoming a student ambassador gives the opportunity to work regular shifts in the library and kit store, providing roles that are both enriching for your studies and flexible around your classes.
What can I get out of being an ambassador?
Aside from the hourly rate of pay (£11.05) – there’s so much to gain from becoming a student ambassador.
Some of my personal favourite things about being an ambassador have been getting to know the university better, feeling more involved in uni life and events, and being able to meet other ambassadors across courses and make friends.
As I’m a student on the Digital Film Production course, I have also gotten the opportunity to work at and be involved in film and media specific events- this has allowed me to not only share my knowledge of my course and talk about my specialism, but also to learn from sessional lecturers and from the prospective students who visit us. Specific events exist across all courses, so as an ambassador there will be opportunities to talk about your interests and specialisms to visiting students and staff.
How do I become a student ambassador?
We are currently looking for more student ambassadors!
Posters and bookmarks have been distributed around the building. These have QR codes on them that when scanned, take you to the job description and application. The deadline to apply is by 5 PM on the 13th October.
Following this, applicants will be contacted to attend an ambassador training session.
Often, other training opportunities are offered: such as alcohol training, degree show training and various training in other specific areas. From here, different jobs are posted on the ambassador portal- meaning you can apply for whichever jobs you like.
My Top Pick:
Although I’ve mentioned plenty of different student ambassador events- I wanted to talk about some of my favourite ones!
Since working more closely with Outreach, I’ve gotten the opportunity to assist on numerous workshops for visiting schools, and these have been some of my best experiences.
Last year I helped assist in a series of photography workshops. Getting to meet the students and talk to them about storytelling through still image and film was so much fun for me, because I’m not only able to share my knowledge, but I’m also able to learn from other budding creatives. The students got an opportunity to go out and take their own photographs, we then displayed their favourite ones on the screen. I remember loving looking at the photos- the work they had created was clearly influenced by the workshop I was helping to run and the discussions I was able to have with these students. Helping with these workshops as an ambassador means I get to facilitate sessions where young people can be creative and express themselves- and this is really rewarding for me.
Overall, the student ambassador experience is one I’d recommend all students to consider. For myself and so many others, it has made Ravensbourne feel more like a community.