{"id":250910,"date":"2026-04-29T10:44:06","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T10:44:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/250910\/"},"modified":"2026-04-29T10:44:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T10:44:06","slug":"usf-president-inducts-new-cohort-of-student-ambassadors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/250910\/","title":{"rendered":"USF President inducts new cohort of student ambassadors"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>USF student ambassadors bridge the gap between students, alumni and the community through outreach and events. ORACLE PHOTO\/VIOLET VASQUEZ PIMENTEL<\/p>\n

USF President Moez Limayem<\/a> inducted 34 new members into the university\u2019s Student Ambassadors program on March 10.<\/p>\n

USF Student Ambassadors, established by the university\u2019s Alumni Association in 1979, is one of the longest-standing leadership programs at USF and aims to link students to alumni and the community, according to its website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Inducted ambassadors serve as official student representatives of the university, assisting at campus events, donor engagements, presidential functions and community outreach programs, according to the USF Ambassadors<\/a>.<\/p>\n

LaToya Wider, director of student relations for USF\u2019s Alumni Association, said the ambassador program is designed to give students consistent exposure to professional environments.<\/p>\n

Wider said ambassadors represent all USF campuses and serve until they graduate. There are about 60<\/a> student ambassadors across the three campuses.<\/p>\n

Each year, student ambassadors are selected in the spring after going through a competitive process, she said.<\/p>\n

Wider said that applicants must have at least a 2.9 GPA and submit all required materials, including a resume and two letters of recommendation, to be considered for the program.<\/p>\n

She said applicants are also expected to have strong communication skills, be involved on campus and understand USF\u2019s history and resources.<\/p>\n

Then, candidates follow a three-part interview process to be selected \u2014 a group interview, an individual interview and a final interview with the university president.<\/p>\n

\u201cStrong candidates are self-motivated leaders who demonstrate a genuine love for USF,\u201d Wider said.<\/p>\n

Ambassadors are officially notified via email the day they are selected and later complete an orientation program called Ambassador Academy.<\/p>\n

USF leaders and newly inducted student ambassadors said the program offers valuable leadership opportunities while promoting school pride across the university\u2019s campuses.<\/p>\n

Related: Here\u2019s a sneak peek into USF\u2019s presidential mansion, Lifsey House<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

For newly inducted ambassador Rebecca Nieves, the program represents an opportunity to \u201cgive back\u201d to a community she values.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nieves, a junior biology major, said she was inspired to apply this year after learning about the ambassador program through her role as Student Alumni Association events coordinator.<\/p>\n

She was also encouraged through connections with current and former ambassadors, as she enjoyed seeing their professionalism at campus events.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI really love that USF has become kind of a community to me, and to be able to give more back to that on a larger scale \u2026 would be really amazing,\u201d Nieves said.<\/p>\n

While she started as an ambassador just a few weeks ago, Nieves said she has already started building relationships and is excited about new connections available to her through the program.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, applying can seem so scary\u2026but it really can become such a good community for you,\u201d Nieves said. \u201cI\u2019ve been so excited for a while now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Along with the communication skills and professionalism needed to succeed as an ambassador, Nieves said connection and networking are among the most valuable and rewarding parts of the role.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAmbassadors do a very good job of [making a difference]\u201d, she said. \u201cThey can bring alumni, bring donors back to the USF community, and keep them connected.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related: 70 years of USF: A university shaped by community and developments<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

But being an ambassador extends from appearances to behavior. Nieves said ambassadors must balance being approachable with representing USF in a polished, professional manner.<\/p>\n

\u201cMeet yourself where you are and be yourself,\u201d Nieves said. \u201cThat\u2019s what makes ambassadors successful, not trying to perform a version of professionalism.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wider said USF has expanded both its acreage, reach and public image over the last few decades \u2014 and has increasingly relied on student-facing representatives to reflect this growth and identity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Therefore, she said ambassadors are expected to maintain professional standards in both dress and communication when representing USF.<\/p>\n

Wider said that, depending on the event, ambassadors are required to dress professionally, often wearing a green blazer, polo or an ambassador T-shirt. They are also expected to speak in a polished, professional manner.<\/p>\n

Overall, Wider said ambassadors help connect USF to its community through student experiences while making the university feel more personal to its visitors.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis program brings together some of USF\u2019s best and brightest students,\u201d Wider said. \u201cThey are able to articulate their experiences, opportunities and enthusiasm for the university.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"USF student ambassadors bridge the gap between students, alumni and the community through outreach and events. ORACLE PHOTO\/VIOLET…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":250911,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":["post-250910","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250910","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=250910"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250910\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/250911"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=250910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=250910"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=250910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}