Most college students prepare for their school day by gathering their pens, notebooks, and pencils. Others pack their backpacks with their laptops and their chargers. Some students, however, have to prepare for much more than their classmates. These students prepare to represent an entire academic institution, and they prepare knowing that people see them as the face of their university.
Student representatives come in all shapes and sizes. They come from different places and have different ideas, but one thing that unites them is their responsibility to represent their universities.
At the University of Tennessee, the standard of the “Volunteer tradition” is carried through a select group of student who choose to embrace their role as a representative in their respective extracurricular activities. Tennessee Student Ambassador Taggart Nadasdi and Cheerleader Lexi O’Haver talked about aspects of their extracurricular activities and how they represent their university.
A Unique Opportunity
According to utk.edu, out of 30,559 students enrolled in the University of Tennessee, only 54 students are student ambassadors, and only 44 students are on the cheer team.
Joining either of these two organizations involves a tedious selection process. Nadasdi said, “My student ambassador selection had three rounds of interviews. There are cuts after each round. I think last year there were about 280 people who applied and somewhere less than 20% actually got in.”
Nadasdi treats his opportunity to be a student ambassador as a badge of honor. He said, “It was kind of amazing to think that they would pick me considering some of the people I saw that applied. That’s why I know I have to actually be really good at what I do.”
The cheer team has an even more difficult selection process. O’Haver said, “Usually, we’ll have close to 100 girls try out and they have to do it every year. You basically spend the entire year being evaluated even after you made the team. Even being a senior in eligibility, I am still being graded by my performance seemingly everyday. People will come into practice and take notes that matter all the way into next year.”
Both of these campus organizations require a selection process to choose who will represent the university. This is because of the responsibility given to the students to be the face of the school.
Friendly Faces
Nadasdi described his role of a student ambassador. He said, “I am mostly in charge of the campus tours here at UT. Me and sometimes someone else will take everyone on a lap around campus, highlighting some of the most iconic spots on campus. I even have to remember some pretty corny jokes.”
Nadasdi understands the importance of his tours, though. He said, “I am often someone’s first impression of the University of Tennessee. I have to be super open-minded and welcoming to anyone I show campus to. I sometimes forget how important my job actually is.”
O’Haver describes a similar responsibility as a cheerleader. She said, “In a normal world, Tennessee has the best game-day atmosphere in the country. You see thousands of fans walking around Knoxville and they see you in your uniform and they know you are a part of this team and this school. We have to be on our best behavior not to spoil someone’s image of the school.”
Both O’Haver and Nadasdi expressed their belief that school spirit still plays a role in success in their organizations. O’Haver said, “On game-days we have to keep the crowd in the game, even if we are losing. The football team can be terrible on the field, but we have stay positive. I wouldn’t recommend cheering to people who are negative.”
Nadasdi said, “I don’t think they just choose extraverts to be the tour guides. I think they choose the best people to mix with the others they’ve selected. That being said, you still have to stay positive no matter what.”
Students First
Despite their extracurricular roles as university representatives, the people who work as campus ambassadors are still students. Nadasdi said, “My main focus here at UT is still school. I am taking somewhere around 15 hours a semester, so I always have something coming up that pops back up in my head when I’m giving a tour.”
Nadasdi added that he admires other student ambassadors who work with him. He said, “Some of the guys and girls that I work with have even more schoolwork to think about than I do. It’s actually crazy that they take time out of their day to show strangers around our campus. If I was science major like them I certainly wouldn’t.”
O’Haver described her experience as a student athlete to be a smoother time as a student than as an athlete. She said, “They definitely build your schedule knowing that they are going to pile up your free time with workouts, practices, and other team meetings. Even with that, they still make you go to one-on-one meetings with academic coaches and reserve time where you have to get a lot of you work done. It’s actually super helpful.”
Something in it for Everyone
Representing a university is not an easy task. However, no one would volunteer their time for these organizations if they didn’t think it benefited them.
Nadasdi said, “I’ve had people that I know run into me on campus and kind of make fun of me for my badge and my uniform. I tend to laugh with them cause I know that I probably look silly to someone from the outside. I think that’s kind of the commitment and weirdly the joy I get from being a student ambassador.”
Nadasdi cited a sense of community for his enjoyment of being an ambassador. He said, “I was kind of lost before I joined this group. Now, I have friends that I actually hang out with outside of giving tours. We all have grown together from the amount of time we spend around each other.”
O’Haver mentioned that sense of community is even more magnified by the accomplishments of her team. She said, “Some of my closest friends are the people I’ve met through cheer. When you get up and work out early, spend hours practicing together, and going to games together, you almost have to be close with everyone. When our team won the division in the big NCAA competition, it was the first time Tennessee had ever done that, so celebrating that with my best friends was incredible.”
The Faces of the Volunteer Spirit
At Tennessee, the student representatives are held to a higher standard, the Volunteer standard. O’Haver said, “They put special care into making sure we hold ourselves to a higher standard at Tennessee. You aren’t just a student. You aren’t just a cheerleader. You are all of that and so much more. That’s what I’ve learned.”
Nadasdi said, “We keep each other accountable to stay from being at large parties, now more than ever. If one of us were seen breaking the rules, it makes all of look bad. I think that’s why they preach the importance of being a Volunteer.”
Though it may have its challenges, being a student representative at The University of Tennessee is an honor that many don’t get to experience. For those that do get to experience it, it means so much more than just being a face that smiles at strangers.
Matthew Covers Sports 