Next spring, College Possible Minnesota plans to launch a new College Possible Ambassador program. This new program will be an opportunity for the high school students we serve to take on a leadership role among their College Possible peers at their high schools and build a stronger sense of community through a supportive peer network.
Once in-person classes resumed after the pandemic, AmeriCorps coaches and our high school leadership team noticed a few changes. First, students weren’t as familiar with College Possible and what the programs offer. Second, once students joined College Possible, the sense of community was not as strong as it had been. Staff wanted this to change.
Program goals
Through the College Possible Ambassador program, College Possible hopes to accomplish two goals:
- Increase student recognition of College Possible by having a familiar face be a representative of our program in their school community.
- Increase the sense of belonging and feeling of camaraderie among the students we serve.
The role of the ambassador
Like the University Leaders program, College Possible Ambassadors will be peer support for high school students. In the spring of their junior year, students will complete an application to become a College Possible Ambassador during their senior year of high school. One key responsibility of this role will be to plan and lead monthly social sessions for all College Possible students at their school. College Possible Ambassadors will also have the opportunity to assist in recruitment activities at their high school since they are familiar with the College Possible student experience.
We want to continue ensuring that College Possible is an organization students join for personalized support to help them get into the best-fit colleges, fund their education, and thrive through degree completion. The College Possible Ambassador program will help students achieve these benchmarks and as a bonus, College Possible Ambassadors will gain valuable leadership experience that will look great on college applications.
While this program is still in the early planning stages, we hope to pilot it in a handful of our partner high schools this spring.
