Harry Truman College

Amanda Delacruz is studying psychology at Truman College. She is a first-generation, non-traditional student who is serving as this year’s vice president of communications for the student ambassador program.

As my second and final year at Truman College kicked off this fall, I began to think about what I wanted to accomplish in my time here. As a 32-year-old first-time and first-generation student, much of my first year was spent trying to figure out how to be successful in my courses after many years away from the classroom. I’m grateful I poured time and effort into developing skills that will help me in my college journey and beyond. However, the more I thought about my first year the more I realized I had rarely taken the opportunity to engage with the City College community. I decided my goal this year was to be more involved.

Naturally, when I received the e-mail with information about applying to City Colleges of Chicago’s District Ambassador Program I jumped at the chance! After completing the application and interview process, I was honored to be chosen as this year’s vice president of communications.

As the vice president of communications, I get the honor of sharing the different experiences of City Colleges’ student ambassadors with you this year. I am excited to highlight the diverse stories that make our schools so special. While this year’s ambassador team is just getting started, I wanted to explain a little bit more about the program.

Now in its second year, the Ambassador Program is an exciting opportunity for students to get involved while broadening their networks and improving their leadership skills. It offers three types of roles: leads, representatives, and champions. Students from all seven colleges participating in these three roles keep one main goal in mind: giving our communities and prospective students an inside look at City Colleges by sharing our unique experiences.

The seven lead roles include president, vice president of communications, vice president of social programming, vice president of professional development, vice president of membership, director of recruitment, and assistant director of recruitment. The students filling these roles will spend the school year working on projects that involve recruiting, event planning, marketing, networking, and more.

Each college has two student representatives who serve as points of contact, sharing insights of their student experience at each campus. Students in these roles often work closely with the lead positions by participating in campus events, recruiting, sharing their stories, and more.

The Champion Ambassador role allows students to join the program year-round. Champions are involved in recruitment, sharing social media campaigns, and attending events when they can. This position only requires the student to be enrolled in at least one credit course at City Colleges and therefore is a great, low-commitment opportunity for anyone who wants to become involved.

Ambassadors will have many opportunities throughout the year, including accompanying Chancellor Salgado to community events, volunteering in their communities, representing their schools while improving public speaking and networking skills, and so much more. If you want to be involved, the Ambassador Program has space for you. Come join us and help show Chicago all that City Colleges has to offer!