La Salle Ambassadors awarded at conference

By Erin Brodbeck
Collegian Editor
February 14, 2007

The La Salle Ambassadors were recognized at The Association of Student Advancement Programs (ASAP) District II Conference as the “Most Outstanding Ambassador Organization” Feb. 10.

The award was given after a group of student Ambassadors submitted a summary of the programs they had organized. The goal of Ambassadors is to serve as representatives of the student body at various campus functions.

“These students work very hard for La Salle,” Helene Holmes, associate director of the Annual Fund, and advisor to the Ambassadors, said. “It’s nice to see them being recognized.”

The Ambassadors received the same award in 2002. Also during that year, Ambassador President Meg Kane received an award for “Outstanding Student Leader.”

This year’s award was announced at a banquet that took place during the conference at Philadelphia University.

The goal of ASAP is to encourage the progress of advancement programs at colleges around the country. District II of the ASAP includes 45 other organizations at schools in about eight other states.

The conference is held each February, and a larger national conference is held in Columbus, Ohio over the summer. Students use the event as an opportunity to network and share ideas with each other. The conference provides students with the opportunity to compare their programs with those of other schools.

There are 30 Ambassadors in all at La Salle, and six of them attended this month’s conference.

La Salle’s Ambassador program has been working with the school since 2000. The student members are present at almost every major campus event, assisting during Family Weekend, Homecoming and reunions, to name a few. They also work with Building Blocks Day Care, located next to the St. Miguel Townhouses, and have organized Christmas and Easter activities with the children there.

Each Thanksgiving, the Ambassadors serve Thanksgiving dinner to area police officers to show their appreciation.

“I would say it’s a notable accomplishment that they have won three awards in this time over schools that have had Ambassador organizations for much longer,” Holmes said.

“Getting the award was reassuring,” said Ambassadors Secretary Diana Holland, a junior mathematics and secondary education major. “We worked hard for it.”

The Ambassadors are currently looking for students who are interested in joining the program. Applicants should turn in two letters of recommendation by March 16, and interviews will be held in the following weeks.

brodbecke1@lasalle.edu