Strolling around the Ewha campus in March, one may see groups of freshmen, high school students, or tourists guided by Ewha students in a green and white uniform, each with a microphone. These students, Ewha campus leaders, are official student ambassadors. Since 1997, Ewha campus leaders were recruited not only as guides for campus tours but also promotors of Ewha.
“Besides campus tours, we started a mentoring program targeting high school students last year,” said Cheon Hyeon-jin, captain of the campus leader. Currently comprised of 43 students with various majors, campus leaders provide advices for high school students interested in entering Ewha.
As such, campus leaders’ work is not confined to guiding tours, but also greeting special guests from abroad and participating in various school events as the representative of Ewha.
Furthermore, campus leaders annually run booths in Daedong Festival to raise students’ awareness on their activities.
“We sell T-shirts annually that says ‘I am your future boss, not your future wife,’” Cheon said. “Targeting Ewhaians as consumers, we tried to recall Ewha’s spirit of challenge.”
Campus leaders participate in more than 10 campus tours per semester in average. Some leaders provide more than 50 tours in a semester. Preparing for a tour, memorizing scripts and delivering the information naturally are not the only work required. As tour groups come in different sizes and culture or linguistic variety, scripts always need adjustments to meet different demands.
Adding to the physical hardship of giving tours in cold and hot weather, campus leaders bear responsibility of being the first face of Ewha to visitors. Nevertheless, Cheon says she earned “good people” and learned a lot from being one of the campus leaders.
“It is not easy to make real friends in busy school life,” Cheon remarked. “However, campus leaders can get close to each other as we always work together.”
Jin Tae-hee, a manager of campus leader, said she could gain confidence through offering campus tours to strangers.
“I was afraid of giving presentations in lectures when I was a freshman,” Jin added. “But I could overcome the shyness through speaking out in front of small and large groups of visitors.”
They also mentioned that any Ewha students can be a member as long as she has a character of perseverance and responsibility.
“However, what matters is the willingness to be part of a huge interactive community,” Jin remarked. “While being a campus leader, one gets to understand other leaders, visitors, and Ewhaians, through which the leader herself matures.”
Campus leaders’ foremost project in March awaits both the leaders and freshmen of Ewha.
“We have a March tour for freshmen who are unfamiliar with the school,” Jin said. “During the tour, we offer useful tips such as places for taking a break and shortcuts around the campus.”
Speaking of tips in Ewha life, two leaders introduced their personal favorite sites around the college.
“I read books or listen to music looking at the sunken garden in Ewha Campus Complex (ECC),” Jin remarked. “When it rains or snows, the garden makes me feel peaceful in midst of busy college life.”
Following Jin’s sharing, Cheon chose English Lounge in ECC as her favorite place on campus.
“As it is English speaking zone, it could be overwhelming for some students at first,” Cheon added. “But you can freely watch movies or talk in English with professors.”