The experience of transitioning into a new school is scary.  Not only will you be thrust into a crowd of people that you do not know, but the curriculum and the entire building is different to you.  At ISB, the Student Ambassadors program, a well loved tradition which has been around for many years, helps students with that change.

Mr. Davy, who runs the student ambassadors program, states, “The goal has been for students to volunteer their time to help new students adjust to ISB and its community and its culture.”  He goes on to talk about how the program manages to help different students needs, saying, “The biggest piece, I believe, is the individuals that are involved – their personalities.  We have people that volunteer and put themselves forward, these are individuals that really can make a big difference to new students coming in because they want to help, and ultimately, they are really genuine.”

I, being a new student coming into fourth grade, was not a part of the student ambassador program, nor did I have anyone to show me around that day.  Coming into the school new and knowing no one was terrifying for me, and being apart of the student ambassadors program today made me wish that I could have had that as well.  The student ambassadors who were interviewed all talked about their experiences in being new, and it seemed to be a big part of why they chose to be a student ambassador themselves.

Pim (12) and Poon (10) Singhatiraj state that their experiences with being new last year were made easier with the help of a student ambassador.  Poon states,  “I sort of wanted to “repay” the deed by becoming [a student ambassador] myself.”  Pim goes on to say, “ I wanted to help make a new student’s transition to ISB as smooth as mine was.”

All three student ambassadors mentioned their own experiences of being new, and Isabel Armitage (12) seemed to have the same opinion as both Pim and Poon.  She says, “I saw a community of like-minded, kind students who helped present and showcase ISB in a positive light, and I wanted to be a part of that. When I was new a long time ago, I wish I had a student ambassador, and the assurance that I could ask questions to someone, and sit with them at lunch. I also wanted to make new friends, meet new people, and make sure that people knew about joining activities and becoming part of the ISB community.”

When asked to describe their experience as a student ambassador, Poon states that it was satisfying and fun, saying, “showing them their classes and watching them learn about ISB in general made me really happy.” Pim says, “It was a little intimidating for me, because I knew [I would] be those new students’ first impression of ISB. [It is] a lot of pressure but [it is] worth it in the end.” Isabel states, “The experience is fun, as we get to meet new people and interact with them in our community, and feel like we are helping people and making their day.”

The new students all said the same thing about the orientation process: they talked about how helpful it was and how it made them feel less overwhelmed, how it made them feel less nervous and helped them get familiar with the school, and showed them the caring environment of ISB.  The feedback that came from the new students themselves was all positive.

The three new students all mentioned how the help that their student ambassadors gave them didn’t end after orientation day, but extended all throughout, whether it was the comfort of simply knowing someone was there if you needed them, or having a friend.  Joshua Buck, a new eleventh grade student, talks about how he has had one talk with his ambassador every day to see how the day has gone, if there were any problems, and how his ambassador could help.  He states, “he was able to discuss it with me and help me get through it.”

Nikki Ling, a new tenth grade student, says, “I knew there was someone I could go to if I ever had any questions about the school.” Simply knowing that she had someone there if needed was enough comfort for her, and made her feel better about being at ISB.  Yumi Arashida, a new ninth grade student, talks about how her nonfluency in english made her nervous, but goes on to say, “I could not speak english well; however, [my student ambassador] listened carefully to what I said.  It made me relax to talk with her.”

The student ambassadors program is in place to make ISB seem like home to new students from the very start, from the first orientation day to the weeks following and the rest of their time at ISB.  The program makes a big difference in the student’s school lives, and shows them the culture of care that surrounds everything the ISB community believes in.

Darin Sumetanon