Life at Oak Hall from an Ambassador's Point of View

by Emma Melton

College is so exciting - a new start in what seems like a world of opportunity; yet, it can be very scary for any incoming freshman. What's a better way to get involved your first few years of college than by living on campus?! Themed living communities, helpful staff, and many events throughout the year not only make living in Oak Hall fun, but also a very rewarding experience. Specifically, living 

on campus as a freshman allows one to get to know other classmates, which makes the transition into college much easier and a lot more fun. According to a recent study conducted by the ISU Residential Housing Department, freshmen who lived on campus during the first year of college at Iowa State had a higher graduation rate compared with those who did not. This shows that living on campus your first year is beneficial because students feel connected to the university, becoming more engaged academically and personally. Read more to find out why living in Oak Hall truly is the “Suite Life.”

Getting Connected at Oak

Living in Oak Hall comes with many amenities, but the event programming hosted by several organizations and teams may be the sweetest benefit for everyone. From late night bingo to a hypnotist performance, there are events for everyone to find enjoyment in. While Oak Hall hosts so many events to take students’ mind off their busy schedules, there are also several programs that promote students’ success and involvement. Living on campus is so much more than just a quicker way to class; it’s a way for one to get involved and meet all kinds of new people, all while having fun!

What UMSL Ambassadors are Saying

“As a transfer sophomore student, choosing to live on 

campus - specifically in Oak Hall - was the greatest choice for me. It makes the transition to a new college easier because you have the chance to meet so many people. Living in Oak opens students to many opportunities. For me, I was introduced to the UMSL Ambassador program when I discovered flyers and brochures that stated, ‘We want you to be an Ambassador” at the Oak front desk and lobby area. If I had not seen the flyers, I may have not pursued being an Ambassador for the university and in turn, this blog would not exist. My journey so far at UMSL wouldn’t be as enjoyable if I had not chosen to live in Oak Hall.” 

–Emma Melton

"I’ve lived in Oak for the majority of my college

experience. I discovered UMSL Ambassadors 3 years ago through flyers and brochures, but one of the reasons for joining was a fellow ambassador and friend encouraged me to join the program since I could see that she enjoyed it so much. I wanted to be involved, and Ambassadors was the first step for the many things that followed." 

-Awa Konte

Monthly Meeting Teaches Professional Development

by Camila Pena Rosell

On Friday, October 5th, we, the members of UMSL Ambassadors, had our second meeting of the year. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect because this would be the first meeting besides the introductory one, so I was really excited to get to see what the program really is about.

The meeting started with those who assisted with the Founders Dinner sharing their experience(s) at the event. This is one of two major events for the program other than commencement. For some of the ambassadors, this was their first event of the semester, so it was great to hear that they had such positive interactions with alumni – not only as a way to get know them as individuals, but also as a way to network.

After the stories and the laughter that came with it, we did an icebreaker activity where we had to find as many things in common as we could in our groups of three. I was put in a group with Shyanne and Abby, and we found ten things we had in common. However, we realized after finishing the activity that, while we thought about the specific things we had in common, we left out the general ones, such as we are all women. Even though we didn’t come up with the highest number of commonalities, it was a good way to get to know each other more.

Sharing stories and doing the icebreaker helped us loosen up before moving on to the main topic of the meeting: building basic skills for professional interviews. I found this very important because most of the time, we are not taught these skills, and we are sent into the workforce without knowing how to properly integrate ourselves. We were also given tips on how to create a resume and how to change that resume for the job we are applying for. I really appreciated learning all these things (I would assume all of us did) because we need to know them – not only for when we are looking for jobs, but for internships too.

We ended the meeting with another icebreaker. This time, we had to partner with someone we weren’t too familiar with and teach him/her something new. I partnered with Shyanne and taught her how to introduce herself in Spanish; and she taught me what the body systems are. You learn something new every day and, for us, that is definitely true!

Q&A with UMSL Ambassador Shyanne Closser

by Abby Weiskopf

Shyanne Closser

The UMSL Ambassadors is a unique and diverse group with many different and interesting members. One of the members is Shyanne Closser, an extremely hardworking and dedicated individual who has overcome many challenges since her arrival to UMSL. I sat down with her to learn more about why she chose this organization and how she is able to balance her many activities this semester.

Q: Why did you choose to join this organization over any other?

A: It seemed like a good opportunity to build my resume and build leadership skills. It provides a lot of benefits in terms of helping me build my public speaking and interview skills, which I will need to forward myself for the future.

Q: What is your favorite part of being an UMSL Ambassador thus far?

A: I really enjoy the diversity of the organization and how many new people I have already met in my short time with the Ambassadors. I didn’t realize how many different cultures and people we had on campus.

Q: Why did you come to UMSL? 

A: It had a good cost to education ratio. I really value the quality of education I am receiving compared to my student loans. Since coming to UMSL, I have realized that there is a really good support network here, and I think that’s really important.

Q: What have you struggled with and how have you overcome it?

A: When my parents divorced when I was twelve, my family completely split apart and that was really difficult for me. I had to grow up really quickly and that has impacted me until this day. I struggled with it through high school, but that didn’t stop me from joining extracurricular activities and maintaining a strong GPA so I could get into a good school.

Q: Since you’ve had that experience in your life, what advice would you give someone who's having a hard time in their life right now?

A: To anyone else that is going through a hard time, I would tell them that while everything may seem bleak right now, things will always get better.

Q&A with Arashi Cogan

by Awa Konte

UMSL is known for its diverse student population, which ranges from residential to commuters, young and old, parent and non-parent, etc.

I had the opportunity to interview Arashi Cogan, a senior history major whose anticipated graduation date is May 2019. Before UMSL, Arashi, attended St. Louis Community College (STLCC) for two years and was an active athlete in tennis - a sport he has played for ten years. 

Below is a brief interview with him:

Q: Why did you come to UMSL?

A: The connections I made at STLCC allowed me to have an easier path to transition into a four-year university like UMSL. Given they have a base at STLCC, it was easy to access information, such as which credits would transfer, financial aid, etc. I also decided to stop actively pursuing colleges based on their tennis team, which then gave more reason to look at schools that were in-state.

Q: Most students during their stay here try to join at least one organization on-campus, are you involved with any organization?

A: No, I do not have the time for extracurricular activities since I coach part-time for tennis on weekdays and weekends.

Q: What are your plans after UMSL?

A: I am planning on going to graduate school in Japan. I’ve had this goal for a while now, so the closer to graduation I get, the more realistic it becomes. I’ve moved back and forth between Japan and the U.S., so it won’t be that different from how I’ve lived the majority of my life. I also want to improve my Japanese as well.

Q: As with any interview, I have to ask the classic question that everyone gets: if you could give advice to your younger self, what would it be?
A: I would honestly just tell myself to go outside of my comfort zone. There were a lot of opportunities I passed up that would’ve definitely changed my college experience if I had taken them.