The Power of a Girl Who Owns Her Story

The power of a girl who owns her story

Every week, I see dozens of families arrive for a visit at GPS. One arrival stands out in my mind as especially memorable. It wasn’t because the situation was especially unique, but because a GPS girl did something extraordinary.

This particular family was on campus for their parent conference and tour, having left an ill child at home. They did not want to cancel the visit with GPS but were concerned about leaving their sick child alone. They decided to participate in the conference with me, but to reschedule the ambassador tour piece for another day. We chatted for a few minutes and I invited them to reschedule for another day. Right at that moment, their GPS student ambassador, Nikki, showed up to give them a tour. I explained their situation to Nikki. and their reason for needing to reschedule.

Instead of politely saying goodbye and wishing the family well, Nikki offered, right on the spot, to walk the family to the car and give them what she deemed her “Top 3 favorite things about GPS.”

I can only imagine what it was like for this family to be met by a sophomore in high school who was so quick to embrace them and share her story. I only know what it was like for me, who could not possibly have trained Nikki to anticipate such a scenario. I marveled at how she solved a problem using creativity on her feet, and by doing so, she represented herself beautifully and reflected well on GPS.

This is the beauty of our student ambassador program. The program began with 25 GPS girls who agreed to share their school spirit and student experiences with prospective families. We now have 115 GPS ambassadors in grades 9-12--nearly a third of our Upper School student body. Some give tours, others provide extra support for events. All of them are volunteers.

The strength of the GPS Ambassador program is two-fold. It helps to shape the story of GPS. It also helps to shape each girl’s singular story. As a 2013 report by the Center for Research on Girls indicates, girls who are involved in programs that cause a “spark” of passion or interest for them as individuals are more likely to internalize their purpose and strive toward long-term goals of improving society.

The Ambassador program strikes this spark in a very large part of our GPS student body. We begin the year with leadership training for the ambassadors. In the past, we dovetailed this training with Student Council, but this year the Ambassador program had simply grown too large. The Ambassadors learn the logistics of giving tours and supporting our events. They also learn what areas of leadership they gravitate to and refine their abilities to speak with many generations. Many have gone on to become admissions representatives at their colleges because the Ambassador program gave them a platform to grow their confidence.

In my conversations with prospective families, I often tell them, “Make the admission process yours.” The Ambassador program shows me each day, especially in the case of Nikki, how the girls take ownership of their experience at GPS. To the girls, I also say: Make it yours.

 

Debbie Bohner Young ’79 is Director of Admission for GPS.