The RPS205 Student Ambassador program has been in operation since 2015, although many students may have no idea what a student ambassador is. Each high school and middle school has ambassadors; here at GHS the ambassadors are primarily considered the “Faces of Guilford High School.” We were recruited through peer recommendations during our freshman year and will retain the positions through senior year. 

   Ambassadors work on projects around the school that are planned and approved by the head student ambassadors, seniors Dejan Kuljanin, Tiffani Singleton, and Isabel Medina. Ms. Magee, GHS Academy Coach, is our advisor. The group consists of a mix of students from each academy who are constantly on the lookout for new projects to help improve the school; currently, we are working on remodeling the courtyard. We enjoy meeting new people by giving school tours and by hosting events. 

   “The leaders have a big responsibility for going through the meeting with everything planned and helping incoming student ambassadors,” said Maggie Thomas, a sophomore student ambassador. “We plan all of these activities that solely aim to improve Guilford. Kevin Woods brought up the idea about the courtyard, and we’ve been working on that for a while. We also go on field trips that teach us leadership skills.”

   The field trips help us address real-world problems. One field trip we took was to Eisenhower Middle School, where we answered eighth-graders’ questions about high school.   

   “These field trips that we go on teach us a lot. They’re really fun but they also taught me how to communicate better,” said Mason LoTempio, a junior student ambassador. “We meet with a bunch of other student ambassadors all through RPS 205 district so we all participate in team-building skills together. I’ve met a lot of new people and had a lot of good times at the leadership camps.” 

   We meet every other Tuesday after school to discuss the future goals for Guilford. We just finished creating a logo for the student ambassadors and are working with the production academy students to print the logo on shirts. 

   “Being a student ambassador, I’ve learned to use my resources a lot more,” said Jelena Samoukavic, a sophomore student ambassador. “Having a bunch of people all from different academies and different pathways for each academy is really cool and it feels like we truly can accomplish anything.” 

   Recently one of our ambassadors, Dejan Kuljanin, committed to the Rockford University Education Pathway, which means he will attend Rockford University, earn his teacher certification, and then is guaranteed a job in the RPS 205 school district. He then has the choice to continue at Rockford University for his master’s degree. Approximately twenty students applied for the nine spots, and Guilford is proud to have eight of the accepted applicants. 

   “It’s an amazing opportunity,” said Dejan Kuljanin. “It makes sure I have a job after I receive my teacher certification at Rockford University. It also ensures a higher income for students going through this program simply because you have long experience in the field of teaching.”