Discover: The Freshman Ambassador Program
For our first Start@Shea Blog Post, we wanted to highlight our year-long Freshman Ambassador Program! Applications for ambassadors and mentors are open now until Monday, September 19th at 11:59 PM, so what better time than now to learn more? The Freshman Ambassador Program’s goal is to foster a tight community of freshmen who are passionate about opportunities in entrepreneurship and to give them a chance to join the Shea network. The cohort of ambassadors takes part in workshops, mentoring, and other programs with the Start@Shea E-board and each other. What starts as a small group to meet up with and hang out, quickly grows into a set of true friends and passionate people ready to carve out their place at BC. As the second half of the program starts up again after winter break, the ambassadors begin to shadow the board and really get a feel for what Start@Shea truly is. They see behind the competitions, the speakers, and the events to get a full view of what I believe is the best culture on campus. What we truly want to see from our ambassadors is a passion. Whether you’re a CSOM bro, pre-med grinder, or have no idea what you want to do, great, we want you. And if you’re an upperclassman, we want you to be a mentor.
I was a freshman ambassador so I’m only slightly biased, but this is the program that changed my trajectory at BC. I hadn’t found my thing or my people yet when Bozhena Kulchyckyj (Hey Bo!) gave the application a shoutout in my Portico class. I figured “what the heck, might as well apply.” So I strapped on my guitar, played a bit of “Freebird” and spoke honestly about what entrepreneurship means to me for my application video. A little while later, I came back to my dorm room to see a little yellow bag stuffed into my door, inviting me to a kick-off barbecue, and the rest is history. I met some of the most driven, caring, and lovely people I’ve ever known. We made memories in The Rat at the “Sheables” as Christian Torres dubbed it, had a cozy Thanksgiving dinner, and I learned where I want to leave my mark around campus. If I didn’t send off this application 25 minutes before it was due, I wouldn’t be as happy as I am today. I never would have joined the board, never would have found my concentration, and never met a new side of me. The people I met brought out a side that cares about making anything you can think of happen. That’s what we do at Shea, and we love to plant that seed with the Ambassador Program.
But, don’t take my word for it alone. The guy writing this blog post is obviously going to like this club. Listen to the testimonials from former ambassadors and mentors.
Alex Park (MCAS ’24) says: “The Freshman Ambassador program is where I found a community that expanded my perspective on both what I wanted to do in my future while also pushing me to get out of my comfort zone and try new things. I met some of the best people through the program, as well as upperclassmen mentors who have been pivotal in my life as both role models and friends.”
Alina Yan (CSOM ’23) remembers: “I loved being a mentor for the freshman ambassadors last year. I had a blast with my mentee, whether that’s grabbing dinner, chilling on campus, or helping them with the same things I went through freshman year when I wished someone was there to answer questions. I think what I really appreciated about this experience was the fact that you actually learn a lot from your mentee as well–being in college for so long, it’s a nice breath of fresh air that allows you to reflect on things you’ve forgotten. All in all, it was such a valuable experience and I got to meet a lot of new, amazing people :)”
Matt Gasak (MCAS ’25) says it like none other could: “Start@Shea and the Ambassador Program are what fundamentally made my first-year experience at BC both unique and memorable. From the fun application process to the interactive weekly meetings, Shea became a place where I could comfortably be myself. Many of their programs including the Ambassador Program foster a community of like-minded individuals from all walks of life and immerse them into the world of business and entrepreneurship to jumpstart innovative ideas and push the ideas of creativity in business which I found super interesting. Not only this, the friendships and memories you make along the way will stick with you throughout your entire college career and maybe even further. I highly recommend applying this year for the Ambassador Program and to bring your A-Game for Apps!”
And now I asked a few other ambassadors to say the first word that comes to mind when they think of the ambassador program. The responses are exactly what I love about the program: “caring, loving, passionate, home away from home, community, smile-worthy, and formative.” If these or literally any of the words written in this blog have spoken to you, please please please apply! We would love to have you and can’t wait to see what this year brings the Ambassador program. Who knows, maybe it could be you writing this blog next year.
Apply by Monday, September 19th, 11:59 PM at https://www.startatshea.com/ambassador!
Thanks for reading! We are Start@Shea, the student executive team of the Edmund H. Shea Jr. Center for Entrepreneurship at Boston College.
If you want to learn more about who we are, what we do, and our upcoming events, please feel free to visit our website. You can also subscribe to our newsletter here, and if you have any further questions or comments, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at startatshea@gmail.com!
