Ambassadors Go Forth
Graduating College of Arts and Sciences ambassadors share experiences as they take Vol representation into their next era.
Seven members of a valuable Vol team graduate this spring, stepping forward to represent the Big Orange in their next adventurous chapter.
College of Arts and Sciences student ambassadors are some of the first faces that prospective students meet on campus. They engage one-on-one with potential new Vols during campus tours to share their experiences. They also provide invaluable help with events and activities throughout each semester.
Ambassadors graduating this spring are:
Savannah Booker
Hometown: Cumming, Georgia
Major: Forensic anthropology with minors in classical archaeology and studio art
Gavin Gouge
Hometown: Knoxville, Tennessee
Major: Cinema studies with a minor in journalism from Knoxville.
Madison Jaynes
Hometown: Charleston, Tennessee
Major: Psychology with a minor in human development and family science
Tyler Myers
Hometown: Brentwood, Tennessee
Major: Dual degree in biological sciences (honors microbiology concentration) and neuroscience with a minor in public health
Emily Nguyen
Hometown: Chattanooga, Tennessee
Major: Chemistry, on the pre-med track, with minors in public health and French
Dakota Teamer
Hometown: Bristol, Tennessee
Major: Political science on the pre-law track with a minor in women, gender, and sexuality studies
RoseMarie Villegas
Hometown: Fair Lawn, New Jersey
Major: Ecology and evolutionary biology with a minor in leadership studies (honors program)
Ambassador Experiences
An important job for the ambassadors is in finding connections with visiting families during the potentially overwhelming campus tours. They find their best successes through sharing their own Vol experiences.
“This role serves as the perfect opportunity to show off and brag about this beautiful campus that I have had the pleasure of calling home the last four years,” said Madison Jaynes. “I have learned how to effectively talk and network with people from many different backgrounds. I have also gained so much insight about UT—which has only deepened my love and appreciation for this university.”
Gavin Gouge enjoyed sharing his hometown Knoxville experiences with visiting families.
“That’s always how I try to personalize my tours,” said Gouge. “Knowing the ins and outs of great places to eat and stay and things to do around Knoxville for these families that come from out of state and have a little bit of extra time here.”
The ambassador role amplifies Volunteer connections when visiting students and families are already Vols-for-Life.
“It’s always so amazing when their parents talk about their experiences at UT and when the students are really excited about coming here,” said Savannah Booker. “It’s made my own experience so much better because I get to learn new things about UT and exchange stories about being a Vol.”
Dakota Teamer, who comes from one of those Vol families, started building her ambassador experience during her own one-on-one pre-college tour with an earlier college ambassador.
“I grew up in East Tennessee, so the Volunteers were always a huge part of my childhood,” said Teamer. “Getting that one-on-one experience really helped me see myself here. When I toured the campus, it just felt like home.”
RoseMarie Villegas valued her experience as a way to get involved and make an impact for her UT community.
“Being an ambassador expanded my horizons,” said Villegas. “I also got the opportunity to reflect on the experiences I’ve had, so I could tell others about them. I have learned so much about all the programs UT has to offer and met students from different majors that I probably would not have met otherwise. Serving as an ambassador allows you to make new friends and discuss how your education has prepared you for life beyond college.”
Emily Nguyen was able to direct this type of ambassadors’ knowledge of different people and programs into an eye-opening moment for an incoming student.
“One of the prospective students said, ‘I don’t know what I want to major in, but I know I like biology and psychology,’” said Nguyen. “I asked them, ‘Have you thought about neuroscience?’ And then you can see there’s a door opening for them because they’ve never thought about neuroscience. I was able to help them make a decision on their degree that could potentially influence them for the next four years and the rest of their life.”
Likewise, Tyler Myers made a particular connection with a student who wanted to know about studying Japanese at UT.
“I referenced our major and minor in Japanese, with added opportunities in language and world business and extracurricular courses,” said Myers. “I watched this student’s face light up more and more until he told his father that he was ‘sold’ on coming here. One of my favorite things as an ambassador is finding the one thing that helps a student most easily envision themselves as belonging at UT.”
Big Orange Shoes to Fill
With so many from the current team graduating, opportunities abound for energetic students who want to join the next cohort of ambassadors. Brittany Hunt-Woods, assistant director of the college’s advising office, coordinates the ambassador program, leading the search for Vols who best fit the profile to be successful ambassadors—a high bar set by the current and outgoing team members.
“This group has really stepped up and takes on each new challenge with grace,” said Hunt-Woods. “Our ambassador team has given more than 400 tours in the last six months. They work extremely hard to accommodate every family that walks through our doors whether they are scheduled or not.”
The ambassadors stay flexible in their duties, ready to pivot when unexpected questions or needs arise.
“Each of them cares deeply about those they work with and are willing to pitch in to help when needed,” said Hunt-Woods. “Our ambassadors showcase what it is like to be a student within the College of Arts and Sciences. They are knowledgeable about not only their majors—they do the research to make sure they are giving the best tours possible to align with students’ interests.”
Incoming ambassador hopefuls should be trustworthy, dependable, and reliable—able to address a visiting family’s needs even if it is not what they were originally prepared for. They should be ready to be all-Vol for the college.
“I am looking for students who love to talk about their college experience and love the College of Arts and Sciences,” said Hunt-Woods. “Someone who can talk about how their degree is preparing them to go on to the workforce or other graduate school programs after graduation.”
Ambassadors learn in-depth about the college’s interdisciplinary programs as they develop a multitude of leadership and team-based skills.
“These students are using critical thinking skills to work through various situations and prepare for their tours,” said Hunt-Woods. “They learn skills that will help them understand what it looks like to be a professional within the workforce and think about how they will translate those skills to career positions or graduate programs after graduation.”
Read more Spring Commencement 2025 stories
By Randall Brown