ECU Honors leaders help new students find community through Honors Ambassadors and CREWS mentors programs

honors ambassadors sit at a purple table — Honors ambassadors, from left, Daniel Walker, Kenison Parker, Whitley McCoy and Owen Farrar sit on a panel for an honors academic day.

The Honors Ambassadors and CREWS (Connections, Resources, Engagement and Welcome Sessions) Mentors are two leadership programs that help shape the new student experience at the East Carolina University Honors College. The students who serve as mentors and ambassadors utilize their personal experiences as honors and ECU students to support incoming and first-year students.

Alex Fisher, a senior biochemistry major and lead ambassador, said, “Instead of simply focusing on our own self-improvement, we are dedicated to helping our fellow students succeed, which continues to foster the ideals of community and service that are hallmarks of East Carolina as a whole.”

These programs are meant to improve the incoming and first-year experience by providing students with support and guidance. The ambassadors program is in its second year and works closely with Margaret Turner, director of admissions and recruitment. CREWS mentors is in its first year and is guided by Dr. Diane Majewski., director of programming and special projects.

The admissions process can be daunting for many students. The ambassadors program is meant to focus specifically on improving the incoming student experience. As an ambassador, current students attend recruitment events, meet with prospective students and families, host a student in classes, and so much more. This can help prospective students figure out what they are interested in and how the Honors College can help them succeed.

“Our ambassadors provide a unique and authentic perspective to prospective students that cannot be matched at any other major university across the nation,” Fisher said. “Prospective students are looking for a place to call home, and the relationship that they are able to build with our ambassadors helps them to feel the intimate community that you can have as an honors student.”

Similar to the ambassadors program, CREWS mentors aim to help students with the transition into college. Developed through research done by three honors students, Kasey Perkins, Whitley McCoy and Kylie Murray, the mentors program allows upperclassmen students to attend the HNRS 2000 class and speak on topics like study tips and relevant opportunities.

“My biggest priority is checking in with the students frequently and building a relationship with them so that I become someone they feel comfortable communicating with,” said Kylie Murray, a junior business management and finance major and one of the founders of the CREWS mentors program.

Whitley McCoy, a junior marketing major, lead honors ambassador, and co-founder of the CREWS mentors program said, “It is nice to help incoming students realize all that there is to offer because I can say that honors has changed my life for the better. My college experience would not be anywhere what it has been if it wasn’t for the Honors College.”

The leaders of these programs have developed lasting relationships with the students they helped find their home at ECU. These mentors and ambassadors emphasize the importance of the honors community early on, which helps create a positive and welcoming mindset for incoming and first-year students.

“There honestly have been several experiences where I have met students through doing recruitment events and now seeing them on campus is just awesome,” McCoy said

“These relationships we’re building with students surpass the first year and even the four years they have at college,” Murray added. “College is about so much more than just the degree you’re pursuing but the relationships you make.”

These students hope that these programs will continue to make an impact and grow even after they have graduated, and they are confident in the impact these programs will continue to make.