SCPS Ambassadors
Sharing the journey
Asia Adams (BA ’22) knows what it’s like to be a full-time working adult returning to school to earn a bachelor’s degree. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Adams did just that, enrolling in SCPS’s BA in management program to fulfill a long-elusive goal.
At the time, anxiety filled her mind and nerves knotted her stomach. She questioned if she was making the right decision. Would the investment of time and money lead to compelling professional opportunities? Would she be able to manage her time and complete the program? She stared into the future and understood nothing was promised. And yet, she marched forward—resolute, determined, and optimistic.
In her initial year at Loyola, Adams thrived. She found a supportive community of peers in her online courses. She confronted intellectual challenges and found a rhythm to balancing her studies with full-time employment at a Chicago law firm. She gained confidence in her choices and her abilities.
As Adams moved into her second year, she joined the SCPS Ambassadors program, eager to share her experiences and help other students chase their own academic ambitions.
A volunteer leadership program, SCPS Ambassadors trains liaisons to new and prospective students. Alumni and current students, ambassadors come from multiple SCPS certificate- and degree-granting programs, professional industries, and geographic locations. Their one shared trait: a willingness to help other adult learners transition to and flourish in higher education.
Offering a firsthand perspective, ambassadors answer questions about managing finances and courses, juggling home and work responsibilities, and navigating college life. They participate in SCPS orientation, panel discussions, information sessions, and online forums, sharing honest tales from the frontlines. For new and prospective students, ambassadors’ candid stories frequently replace feelings of inferiority with inspiration and allow conviction to trump uncertainty. The connections Ambassadors build with students deliver perspective, insight, and real-world examples to follow.
“I became an SCPS ambassador because I truly wanted to help people like me, people who felt like I did when I was getting ready to return to school,” Adams says. “I wanted them to know they weren’t going through this alone. They had support and many, many examples of others who faced similar doubts or concerns and forged ahead.”
Indeed, the magic of the SCPS Ambassadors program exists in the ambassadors’ own lived experiences as well as in their earnest desire to lend support.
Once upon a time, after all, ambassadors themselves confronted many of the same hurdles facing today’s students, such as balancing work and family obligations with academic pursuits, apprehension about returning to school after a lengthy gap, and leveraging the Loyola education to pursue next steps.
Through their empathy and collaborative energy, ambassadors become supportive, encouraging allies to help students proceed with confidence and determination—another resource pushing SPCS students to grow and succeed.
“It’s a community that keeps on giving,” says Adams, who is currently pursuing her law degree. “SCPS is a school that puts effort into its programs and the success of its students, and ambassadors are living proof of that.”
"I can remember my fear in the beginning of not knowing how to navigate technology and being old school. That was very daunting, but the professors are so amazing. It’s part of why I love being an SCPS Ambassador: I get to tell anyone who has the same fear about returning to school that there are supports to help.” Jackie Gilbert, BA '25
In her initial year at Loyola, Adams thrived. She found a supportive community of peers in her online courses. She confronted intellectual challenges and found a rhythm to balancing her studies with full-time employment at a Chicago law firm. She gained confidence in her choices and her abilities.
As Adams moved into her second year, she joined the SCPS Ambassadors program, eager to share her experiences and help other students chase their own academic ambitions.
A volunteer leadership program, SCPS Ambassadors trains liaisons to new and prospective students. Alumni and current students, ambassadors come from multiple SCPS certificate- and degree-granting programs, professional industries, and geographic locations. Their one shared trait: a willingness to help other adult learners transition to and flourish in higher education.
Offering a firsthand perspective, ambassadors answer questions about managing finances and courses, juggling home and work responsibilities, and navigating college life. They participate in SCPS orientation, panel discussions, information sessions, and online forums, sharing honest tales from the frontlines. For new and prospective students, ambassadors’ candid stories frequently replace feelings of inferiority with inspiration and allow conviction to trump uncertainty. The connections Ambassadors build with students deliver perspective, insight, and real-world examples to follow.
“I became an SCPS ambassador because I truly wanted to help people like me, people who felt like I did when I was getting ready to return to school,” Adams says. “I wanted them to know they weren’t going through this alone. They had support and many, many examples of others who faced similar doubts or concerns and forged ahead.”
Indeed, the magic of the SCPS Ambassadors program exists in the ambassadors’ own lived experiences as well as in their earnest desire to lend support.
Once upon a time, after all, ambassadors themselves confronted many of the same hurdles facing today’s students, such as balancing work and family obligations with academic pursuits, apprehension about returning to school after a lengthy gap, and leveraging the Loyola education to pursue next steps.
Through their empathy and collaborative energy, ambassadors become supportive, encouraging allies to help students proceed with confidence and determination—another resource pushing SPCS students to grow and succeed.
“It’s a community that keeps on giving,” says Adams, who is currently pursuing her law degree. “SCPS is a school that puts effort into its programs and the success of its students, and ambassadors are living proof of that.”