Thanksgiving with the Ambassadors

UMSL Ambassadors got together today to enjoy each others' company and have lunch.

Upcoming Meeting

This week the UMSL Ambassadors will host our monthly meeting at the new Recreation and Wellness Center! It is going to be a great opportunity for us to learn how to avoid stress year round and especially during finals week. We will also learn about new methods of exercise, as well as some of the great classes offered. The Recreation and Wellness Center offers a variety of new workout equipment and classes that are already paid for by student fees. The meeting will conclude with a private spin class just for the UMSL Ambassadors. We are so excited to work it out!

A Successful Social Event: Haunted Honors

On October 30, the UMSL Ambassadors had the opportunity to gather at the Pierre Laclede Honors College for its annual Haunted Honors at the Provincial House. This was a wonderful opportunity to get to know one another and build upon our friendships. The Pierre Laclede Honors College did a wonderful job with their haunted attraction, and the stories that we heard along the way were bone-chilling! We had a wonderful time screaming when we were frightened and laughing at one another along the way. After going through the Haunted Honors, we went down to the Delmar Loop for a bite to eat. We gathered at Fitz’s and finished out our evening there. What a great night!

Peter Mawanga & the Amaravi Movement

When I arrived for the performance, I had no idea what to expect. Peter Mawanga is a musician from Malawi, and most of his lyrics are in his vernacular, Chichewa. He is a self-proclaimed “Voice for the Voiceless.” All of his songs have roots in traditional Malawian music, and he plays with both traditional Malawian and Western instruments. It was difficult to not find yourself tapping along with the music as he played. During the performance, Peter Mawanga would pause between songs occasionally to explain more about himself and his music. On their flight to the US their marimba, the backbone of their music, was lost and the airline still hasn’t found it. They were up all night building a new one for the event at the Touhill. Two of the most moving songs were from an album called “Mau a Malawi: Stories of AIDS,” which he wrote along with an American artist. The songs themselves told the stories of people living with HIV/AIDS. They put faces and names on something that is an epidemic that is detached from most people unless they know someone who is experiencing it. One of the most haunting lyrics was from his song “Thengo”:


When a father buries his child,

Who will bury him?

What we’ve buried in silence,

Has taken my children.


The performance was sponsored by the E. Desmond Lee Endowed Professorship in African/African-American Studies and the Office of International Studies and Programs. The event gave those attending a chance to experience Malawian music, and it also gave us the opportunity to understand more about the culture and issues people are facing. It is important for students to broaden their minds and increase their acceptance of others, and the tools are equally crucial for the community overall. This performance offered the chance to work toward those ideals. With the University Ambassadors, I was able to attend an event that exposed me to a new way of thinking and increased my understanding of people in Malawi.

Upcoming Social Event: Haunted Honors

While the UMSL Ambassadors are busy representing at events around campus, we also make time to have fun and socialize with one another! With Halloween right around the corner, the UMSL Ambassadors will be having its second social event this semester on Friday. Through these events the UMSL Ambassadors have been able to socialize and learn more about their fellow leaders on campus. The Pierre Laclede Honors College will be hosting its annual Haunted Honors at the Provincial House at 6:30pm and all are welcome to attend. Hope to see you there!

UMSL Ambassador meeting with Career Services

On October 16, during our monthly meeting, Teresa Balestreri, a worker from UMSL Career Services came to speak to us on how to create a great, job winning resume! I believe that resume writing skills are something most take for granted. When I was younger, and I imagine a lot of people do this, I would create a resume without putting much thought into it. Quickly writing about my extracurricular activities and my job history and it would go to my (hopefully) future employer. At that time I had the assumption that the resume was not particularly important. Sure, the resume was somewhat useful for getting an idea of who you are, but the interview was what really determined everything, right? Wrong!

One cannot really give more importance to the interview without underestimating just how much weight the resume holds. The resume is like the interview before the interview. With it, your employer learns of your experiences; not just in previous places of employment, but in life. Through the resume one learns much; if it is sloppy and hastily written, then one can tell that most likely you are not one to notice details and that you may not be the most dedicated worker.

Mrs. Balestreri taught about all of the nuances that go into writing a proper resume. For instance she explained that wording is very important. If you repeat the same group of words in your resume multiple times then the reader may get bored. Having variety in your resume is of the utmost importance as it is one thing that can help you differentiate yourself from the many other resumes that the employer most likely has to read.

During the meeting Amanda pulled some of us out to take head shots! Having a picture on, say, your profile picture on LinkedIn can separate you from the masses of blank profiles that cover every inch of the website. By taking that picture, I took one more step towards making myself look more appealing to potential employers!

Though I could not stay for the entire meeting, I am glad that I was able to come.

Center for Character and Citizenship 10 Year Anniversary Celebration

On Tuesday September 29th, I went to the Touhill- Grand Terrace Lobby for the first time. I’ve always wondered what that building was and on that day, I finally found out. This event was very interesting. It celebrated the 10 Year anniversary for the Center for Character and Citizenship which was established in 2005. The goal of the organizations is focusing on character and citizenship growth in youth. Their mission is “To engage in research, education, and advocacy that will foster the development of character, democratic citizenship and civil society.” Sounds very important to me.

During this event, the ambassadors did the jobs of a typical ambassador and greeted the people that came and led them to the location of the event. Later in the evening, we were able to join the celebration and congratulate the prize-winning candidates and try the delicious food. The highlight of the evening was when it started pouring rain outside! Fortunately, the rain settled down by the time the event was over and it was time to leave. I had a great time at this event. I am looking forward to more!

Founder's Dinner

As I stood in front of the door leading from the Ritz-Carlton’s parking garage, my hands were shaking and filled with sweat. I look over at Michelle, the lead ambassador, and saw how naturally she was greeting the many guests as they were arriving. After about thirty minutes of just nodding and waving my hands as the guests entered, I took a deep breath and began to greet them with my voice.

As a member of University Ambassadors, you will be placed in many different environments that are new to you. One of the many events that might be a complete shock, as a student, is Founders Dinner. Founders Dinner is an event that celebrates the UMSL"Family" - acknowledging 25-year faculty and staff members, Chancellor's Award for Excellence recipients, Distinguished Alumni Awardees, and Auguste Chouteau Society and Pierre Laclede Society donors. To put that in layman’s term, you are at an event with some very important people who have contributed a lot to the university.

UMSL Ambassadors Orientation

On September 11th, UMSL Ambassadors had their orientation meeting. It was filled with valuable information and great presenters. Two of our presenters were Vice Provost Coonrod and Dr. Horne. They each brought their personality into their presentations and we enjoyed them. We got to know everyone better by giving fun facts about ourselves. We found out we had two pairs of sisters in the group and Vice Provost Coonrod saw one of the UMSL Ambassadors favorite country singers, Garth Brooks before he was famous. Other ambassadors shared their interest in drawing, soccer, and speaking multiple languages.

Keep Up the Energy!

This week has been a blast for the UMSL Ambassadors! We gave away all of our cookies at the Fall Expo and Volunteer Fair to future UMSL Ambassadors. No one could resist the cookies or UMSL Ambassadors’ smiling faces. Uncle Louis drew a couple people in too! We live for engaging conversations and you all did not disappoint. We enjoyed talking to you about all the opportunities within UMSL Ambassadors especially our networking opportunities. We hope you enjoyed the cookies and will take a minute to fill out our application (www.umsl.edu/go/ambassadors). Check us out on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!

Fall Expo and Volunteer Fair

Hello UMSL! There are some pretty exciting upcoming dates for the UMSL Ambassadors. We will be out at the Fall Expo on August 26th (11:30am-1pm)and the Volunteer Fair on August 27th (10:30am-12:30pm) in the Quad getting to know more UMSL students and recruiting more members for our team. We will have the programs details and UMSL Ambassadors at the booth the entire time to give you more information. Our booth with also have some delicious cookies for our friends who like us on Facebook, instagram, or twitter! We hope to see you out there. Just look for the students in the red vests!