Becoming a Nanook from the Inside Out
October 16, 2019
— by Ray Alda, student ambassador
I still remember the first time I ever stepped onto campus; it was the summer of 2016 during a Discover UAF: Inside Out event, and my family and I drove up from Anchorage to Fairbanks for the first time (a drive that we are now very familiar with). After we checked in and listened to a few speakers welcome us to the university, we were let loose to choose which information session we wanted to learn more about, as well as take a tour around campus.
My tour guide was Mikey, and though I don’t really remember what he talked about, I could still remember the excitement and enthusiasm he had when he talked about UAF and its buildings. I remember walking around campus and imagining myself being that cool college student who would be reading a textbook over at what I now know to be Cornerstone Plaza or studying by the windowsill over at Arctic Java. I hadn’t really considered staying in state at the time, since I always expected to go out of state for college like they did in the movies, but the longer I was on campus learning about the different programs and activities offered here, the more I wanted to go to UAF. Although I don’t remember much about what was said about each building, what stuck with me most was how well I was able to picture myself going to school at UAF and being part of this small community. That first experience at UAF with Mikey and the other staff and volunteers at Inside Out played a huge role in my decision for which college I would go to, and now as a student ambassador at UAF, I could also be someone’s Mikey.
During Inside Out, the Office of Admissions team welcomes prospective students, their families and friends on campus, and we show them around and introduce them to different departments and programs that are offered here at UAF. Students and parents meet advisors, professors and faculty members, as well as current UAF students who can answer any questions they may have about the university and going to college in general. This event establishes connections between prospective students and the university community, in hopes that they choose UAF and feel as though they have connections on campus and resources for help and support.
My experience with Inside Out as a student ambassador has been everything I’ve ever thought it would be and more; it’s honestly (besides New Student Orientation) the best event of the year. I enjoy being able to talk to the students and parents about UAF and seeing the same spark in the students’ eyes when I mention a program/club/event that they are interested in, and I am immediately brought back to the memory of being in that student’s shoes. The parents usually ask the most questions, which is understandable because that’s their kid they’re accompanying, and they want to make sure that everything is going to be all right and that their student will succeed in this next chapter of their lives. My favorite part of Inside Out is meeting students and their parents and then seeing them again in a few months during New Student Orientation as a new Nanook, and they still know my name. It’s exciting to see the eagerness that I had a few years ago mirrored in these students, and I love being in a position where students can feel like they have a friend that they can come back to if they choose to go to UAF.