Ms. Allen Reinvents Student Admission Ambassador Program

By Mimi Lebeau ‘24
    This school year, Golda Och Academy has welcomed a new Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management, Ms. Allen. She works with student admissions ambassadors to organize tours and open houses for prospective families and showcase GOA’s many attractive assets.  

Ms. Allen said, “The Student Ambassador program was not really up and running during COVID, so this has been a great opportunity to reinvent the program.”
Since last year, when prospective students and their families could not enter the building due to COVID-19 precautions, Ms. Allen essentially rebuilt the program from the ground up. This entailed planning numerous events both during school and after hours as well as introducing new ideas and finding creative solutions to a variety of challenges.
“This is my first time being a part of the ambassador program and I do truly love it. You get to tell different people your experiences and you get to be honest,” said sophomore Peri Newman. “You are able to share the cool moments you’ve had with your friends and talk about really any topic. For example, we are making a video talking about different experiences in high school whether it’s about extracurricular activities or how the school has connected us to Judaism. It's a really interesting program to be a part of and I definitely think I will do it again.”
Due to COVID-19 protocols restricting visitors from entering the building, Ms. Allen compiled a video montage to share with prospective families, as a substitute for the in-person tour experience. Similarly, when GOA’s eighth grade class was unable to have lunch with seniors as they had in past years to talk about what to expect in high school, Ms. Allen organized a panel of GOA’s high school students to speak about their experiences instead. 
In September 2021, the admissions office officially announced to the students the opportunity to volunteer as student ambassadors. By October, numerous student ambassador programs already were in action. 
Sophomore student ambassador Jack Spigler said, “I really enjoyed helming the 5th graders’ tour of the upper school. I think it was a great experience. It also brought back a lot of old memories of when I was a 5th grader. I’m really glad I was able to be a part of it and I hope that more opportunities arise.” 
Working with the student ambassadors is a major part of Ms. Allen’s job. 
“The passion and poise that our student ambassadors exude when representing GOA amplifies our excellence louder and more clearly than any marketing campaign can convey,” Ms. Allen said. “I believe that each student at GOA has a voice and experience that is valuable to share and that it is important that the voice is honest to students' actual experience.”
Ms. Allen works with students to help them feel comfortable leading tours and presenting their personal experiences. Despite this, there is a lot of freedom in the way ambassadors run their tours, allowing students to show their unique personalities when meeting with the prospective students and their families.
Ms. Allen said, “I want GOA Student Ambassadors to feel empowered to represent our school and community, to feel equipped to lead tours, to represent the student body’s perspective and to have the opportunity to further develop skills like public speaking and critical thinking.”
According to senior student ambassador Hannah Stoch, this goal has certainly been reached. 
“My time as a student ambassador has taught me to appreciate the minute details. What seems a mundane part of the school day to me may seem incredible to someone else,” Stoch said.
Ms. Allen enjoys watching the student ambassadors share their unique perspectives on what GOA has to offer and what the school means to them. So far, the program has been a roaring success for both students, who have gained more confidence presenting their ideas and experiences, as well as for the prospective families who get a more holistic understanding of what GOA is about.
Sophomore student ambassador Giselle Weiss said, “There are so many aspects of GOA that are so unique that I feel only a student would be able to discuss and share. That is why I love being a student ambassador. I am able to share honest memories that make GOA so special in hopes of gaining a new student who can soon share similar experiences.”
As the success of this year’s student ambassador program reveals, GOA students are enthusiastic that the program will continue to thrive in the coming years.
Ms. Allen said, “Working with the Student Ambassadors has been a pleasure. The enthusiasm and positivity they have brought to every task and job they have been asked to do has been incredible. I hope that our program continues to grow!”