Homecoming ambassadors battle to represent student body


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Andrew Brown || 2014 Homecoming Ambassador

With Homecoming Week underway, the ambassadors are working hard to represent their organizations and school. 

Nominated by different on-campus groups, residence halls and other registered student organizations, the group of 10 is eventually whittled down to one male and one female pair and are chosen as the  de facto leaders of the Central Michigan University community during the climax of the university's homecoming festivities. 

Students can vote online for their favorite ambassador, all under the premise that the individual is the best representation of CMU's diverse student body.

The Women of Homecoming

Farmington Hill senior Lydia Miller was flattered to find out that she was nominated as a homecoming ambassador by Sexual Aggression Peer Advocates, considering it a compliment to the hard work she's put into the school over the last four years.

She works as a sexual aggression peer advocate, lunch buddy helper, an alternative break site leader, a helper of College Against Cancer, and is a member of the Greek Life community.

"It's kind of saying congratulations and that you really do bleed maroon and gold," Miller said. "I know how cheesy that sounds, but I really love CMU and it's truly the best school in Michigan." 

This love and passion for CMU can be found in many of the ambassadors, including Midland senior Dani Cowles, who hopes to use her position to inspire students to get involved on campus and get the most out of their college experience.

"I like to be involved on campus. I love CMU and I want students to know how amazing CMU is and that they can make the most out of their college experience in the long run," Cowles said.

She compared the possibility of being crowned a gold ambassador as "the cherry on top of ice cream sundae" because to her, being in the Top Five ambassadors was a large enough complement. 

"There's a lot of students on campus who do amazing things, so to be put in that group of students is amazing," Cowles said.

Westland senior Jennifer Drum also hopes to inspire students to stay involved on campus and to attend as many events as possible. 

"I try to get involved with whatever I can on campus, whether it's going to a sporting event or going to speakers," Drum said. "I'm able to stay involved on campus and live up to what CMU's values are." 

Drum is currently involved in the leader institute and is a alpha coordinator for one of their programs. She works in the Leadership Safari office, is a campus ambassador, and is part of the honors program.

But for Saginaw senior Marie Reimers, just joining the clubs she felt passionate about wasn’t enough. 

In her freshman year, she joined Spectrum, an organization dedicated to unite the LGTBQ community and their allies through diversity and friendship, before noticing an absence in feminist groups on campus. This inspired her to create SAGE, or Students Advocating Gender Equality, displaying her dedication for a diverse and equal campus. 

"I've really grown in my CMU career and I've been able to experience a variety of different things, which I think makes me a better homecoming ambassador," Reimers explained.

She was student body president for a year and is now working for Student Activities and Involvement.Her personal growth that occurred during her time at CMU has left Lansing senior Tyler Bradley with a sense of purpose.

As a freshman at Leadership Safari, when her guide, also a top five homecoming ambassador, told her that an ambassador means being really involved on campus and having to be nominated, she ruled herself out immediately. 

"Five years later, I'm here," she said. "So to me, it's an opportunity to represent my school and to be proud of myself because I was this girl who thought I'd never be able to do this and now I can can represent my school and be proud of myself and Central."

She's now a multicultural adviser in Calkins Hall, a MAC scholar, part of the Disney college program alumni program, and is part of Alpha Psi Omega. As a dance minor, she's performed in three MAINstage productions and two student productions, was part of Student Research and Creative Endeavors spring performances twice, is choreographing her own showcase. She is currently directing and choreographing her own dance show. 

"I can look in the mirror and be happy with who I am," Bradley said. "I found myself here and thanks to CMU, I can look people in the eye and say it's changed me and that's why I embody a good ambassador for the college." 

The Men of Homecoming

Nominated by the Carey Hall Council, Detroit senior Chuck Mahone isn't taking the nomination lightly. 

As SGA president and as a Multicultural adviser of Carey hall, he considers himself to be someone who "chooses the things he's the most passionate about and give 110 percent."

He says that while it’s hard to say he's someone who stands for what Central wants to be, he's striving heavily towards it by constantly trying to improve himself. 

"It's really not something you could say I've done. It's something you're striving to become. You want to be that person people can say that they represent what CMU has to offer," Mahone said. 

As the only junior ambassador, Josh Palmer from Livonia still believes he has a lot to offer and is fully prepared to accept the responsibilities that come along with the position of a gold ambassador. 

"[The gold ambassador position is] one of those things I'd be honored to hold because of what it truly represents, which is that CMU is a place that you can discover what you're passionate about, take advantage of endless opportunities, and be part of a community that cares," Palmer said. 

His diverse work around campus and the local community inspired him to pursue a career in higher education, a career he hopes will one day help future college students after graduation.

Troy senior Scott Stewart isn't a stranger to helping out on and off campus. He's President of PRSSA, a service ambassador, has done three alternative breaks, works Office of Information and Technology in Wolt as lab consultant, and is an office assistant in Towers student assistant center.

Stewart finds himself to be a good representative of what CMU stands for: Wisdom, virtue, and friendship. 

"I'm happy to volunteer and I make myself known around campus. I live by those values and I live by my own personal values," he explained. "I try to keep a friendly face and help people out as much as possible. There's the take care initiative, which encapsulates my own personal view on how I treat others."

According to Novi senior Justin Mustonen, there are two types of ambassadors: The type that picks up the CMU flag, runs down Washington and has people run out of residence halls and follow them and then there's the kind who put it around their shoulders like a cape and pretend that they're superman and start talking to people on the street and eventually have people start walking with them.

Mustonen considers himself the latter. A listener instead of a speaker, while he may not consider himself an extrovert, he enjoys talking and making personal connections with people.

"I think I represent another avenue in that showing I have these connections to Central," he said. "I view Central as my home, I just may not showcase that every day, it's more subtle. I hope people look to me and see that and some identify with that and realize that it's okay not to wear Central gear every day, but you can still bleed maroon and gold."

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