Customize Your Weekly Pathways Content One of the most important parts of college is finding community, especially in a place as large
and busy as UMass. When I first came to UMass, like many first-year students, I lacked a clear
sense of purpose and struggled to find where I fit in within academics and school. Shortly after
my second semester began, I declared my major within the College of Social and Behavioral
Sciences (SBS) as Communication. At the time, this felt pretty meaningless and I didn’t realize
how this could open doors to more than just academics. As the rest of my friends slowly began
to declare their majors and find their homes within their different colleges, I came to realize
that I could also find a purpose within SBS. It wasn’t until my sophomore year that I applied to
be an SBS Student Ambassador as part of their pilot program. This is when I began my real
journey within SBS at UMass.
The ambassador program has not only given me my own community, but it allows me to
constantly work to give others one as well. As ambassadors, we work to increase the sense of
community within SBS and strengthen our students’ sense of self and pride in being a part of
our college. Our main tasks are to organize and put on fun, community building events for SBS
students including ice skating, field days, pumpkin painting, trivia, networking events, and
collaborations with other organizations like the Student Alumni Association (SAA). Beyond
student events, I have been a part of events for incoming and prospective students to give them
a student’s perspective on what SBS and UMass are all about.
I’ve learned a lot over the past two years working as an ambassador and have gotten to
collaborate with students and staff to make a difference in the SBS community. It has been an
amazing learning experience and has offered me a way to test my leadership. Through this work
I’ve come to learn how important it is to find belonging, push yourself and what it is to be a
resource to others.
Being on the other side of finding my own community and identity within college, it’s incredibly
rewarding to be a small part in other students’ journeys. I’ve learned the importance of taking
small steps to get yourself out there to try new things and meet new people. The events we
organize through SBS as ambassadors give students that opportunity. I encourage all students to
take advantage of everything that UMass has to offer and really throw themselves into the
experience. For me, this has meant challenging myself to take influential positions within SBS,
even though it pushes me out of my comfort zone, as well as going to all the opportunities and
events I can. Taking advantage of your time at UMass and in SBS is important and fundamental
in finding your community on campus.
