The Admission Office hosted the annual Student Ambassador Training Dinner in Saperstein Theater on Monday, Sept. 19 with 318 students in attendance. The training dinner is an opportunity for freshman and senior co-chairs to introduce themselves as well as allow new and returning student ambassadors to learn more about the program and its requirements.

Similar to last year’s training dinner, this year’s event provided free In-N-Out and Rice Balls of Fire, cotton candy and churro carts. New faculty leader of the Student Ambassador Program Veronica Zapata said weeks of preparation went into organizing the dinner including booking the food trucks and working with the maintenance team.

“It was a lot of work, and I’m glad I had the support of my colleagues, but it was super rewarding once we were all together in Saperstein Theater,” Zapata said.

Zapata, faculty co-leaders of the Student Ambassador program Tracey Ayeni and Julia Kraft announced that this year will be another hybrid admission season. Wynne Davis ’26 said it is important to maintain the mix between in-person and virtual events.

“I think it’s great that we are getting back to having in-person admission activities, like tours and information sessions, and also keeping some of the helpful virtual events and resources that were adopted during the pandemic,” Davis said.

Zapata said student ambassadors play one of the most important roles in helping potential applicants as they give prospective families one of their first impressions of the school.

“They are one of the few [students] prospective students and their families meet and one of their few connections to HW,” Zapata said. “Though the Admission Office is the one handling the application, it is truly the students who inform families of the community at HW and all of the opportunities available.”

Senior Student Ambassador Co-Chair Nathalie Paniagua ’23 said she knows first-hand the anxiety associated with applying and is glad to be able to continue to relieve some stress off applicant families.

“My favorite part of the student ambassador program is being able to ease the nerves of applicants and their parents because I remember how terrifying and overwhelming the admissions process was when I was applying,” Paniagua said.

Ayeni said student ambassadors have diverse and different experiences at the school, allowing applicants to see the broad list of activities offered.

“I think the most important role of student ambassadors is to share their personal experiences,” Ayeni said. “Every student’s path is a little different and that fact demonstrates how much our school has to offer. The more voices/experiences we can share with applicants the more we show how dynamic and warm our community is.”