Oxnard College Students will never have an excuse to be lost or unsure about how to get their college life started thanks to OC Student Ambassadors.

Always with a helping hand, Student Ambassadors take all the worry out of new coming freshman entering college and possibly not knowing where anything on the campus is located.

Student Ambassadors are students themselves and therefore have most of the questions on hand that a typical college student may have, following with a direct, correct, and precise answer to help students get by in their developing years at Oxnard College.

Valerie Lee, head coordinator for the Student Ambassadors program relays that taking the job of becoming a Student Ambassador is just one of the many jobs that are offered by being a student at Oxnard College.

“We don’t have to advertise for this job opening because we get so many students who want to become student ambassadors because it’s a good job and they enjoy what they do,” said Lee. “They assist students and in addition they learn about what Oxnard College has to offer to anyone.”

Two Student Ambassadors are on duty, every hour that the campus is open and most are bilingual.

Student Ambassadors are set up to assist students with online applications, registering for classes, financial aid assistance, assisting staff with any meetings or campus activities and assisting students with anything having to do with their my.vcccd account.

Student Ambassadors conduct tours for new students on the campus. In addition, Ambassadors do a lot of outreach to the high schools nearby to explain the program and what student’s fresh out of high school can expect when they take their first steps into their college life.

Located in the student services information lobby, there are a total of 15 computers that are available for student use along with a Student Ambassador nearby to assist with possible technical difficulties.

Juana Romero, a 37-year-old administrative assistant major, has been working as a Student Ambassador for a year and a half and expresses that being an ambassador has prepared her for the career path which she plans to take on in the future.

“I would really like to stay at this position until I actually get to transfer because it is convenient for me in a way that my job works with my schedule,” said Romero. “I can get out of one class, work for about 2 hours, go back to class, then come back to work, and it all seems to work out great for me.”

Karen Engelsen, Oxnard Colleges Dean of Student Services, says that the student ambassadors serve a really wonderful role, not only for the students but for the college as well, in that they represent both parties equally.

“The one message that Student Ambassadors are giving out is that it’s okay,” said Engelsen. “Yes you are challenged by all these new requirements, but they are there to support you as you need to meet your goals.”

Oxnard College currently has a total of eight Student Ambassadors. They actually get the highest paying income of any job that is offered for students at Oxnard College.