Photo by Audra Duncan, ELCA 2025 participant
EL Connect Abroad (ELCA) provides first-year students with meaningful global opportunities to connect with peers, faculty, and engage in unique experiences during UGA’s spring break and Maymester. ELCA Ambassadors serve for a term of a year (spring – spring) and are a valued member of the OEL team and are charged with amplifying the presence of EL Connect Abroad, promoting across a broad range of campus settings—including residence halls, student organizations, and academic communities—while integrating authentic student perspectives into its outreach. ELCA ambassadors will serve as leaders on their own ELCA program and as alumni leaders for the following year programs.
Ambassadors will participate in a training retreat/orientation event prior to their Connect Abroad travel time, where they will learn about Connect Abroad; its mission and impacts. Ambassadors will do a deep dive into to become student experts on the PhotoVoice project and will receive training and guidelines on media and marketing. They will oversee the student social media “influencers” on each of the ELCA programs. Upon returning from their programs, ambassadors will work directly with the Office of Experiential Learning to create post-travel media and communications and help design and hang the PhotoVoice exhibit.
As ELCA program alumni, ambassadors will create and lead presentations to classes, clubs, and student organizations. They will attend the Study Abroad fair and info sessions as alumni experts. Each ambassador will work alone or in small groups to create and lead programming for interested and committed students, such as “Real Talks” about the program (peer to peer), roommate “speed-dating” to help students connect and find potential roommates, pre-departure meetings, after-hours sessions (in dorms).
This is a year-long experiential learning activity. Students selected to serve as ambassadors will receive a $500 scholarship to apply to their Connect Abroad program.
Ambassadors are expected to:
- Attend pre-program retreat and training
- Attend meetings throughout the year
- Serve as PR lead while on your Connect Abroad program
- Curate and hang PhotoVoice exhibit
- Create materials and information to promote the program for the following year
- Participate in tabling, info sessions, and other events to promote ELCA for the following year
Only open to students who commit to an ELCA Discover or Explore program.
