Athena Study Abroad Student Ambassador Internship Handbook 2016 Spring Semester
Athena Student Ambassador Internship Handbook Spring 2016 Congratulations on your acceptance into Athena s Ambassador Internship Program! We are very excited that you are joining our team, as we know your contributions will be valuable. We would like to help you be successful in your new role, so please don t hesitate to contact us with any questions, concerns, or suggestions! The purpose of Athena s Student Ambassador Internship Program is to promote the benefits of study abroad through the use of on-campus networking. This means that you now have the opportunity to share your experiences around campus, and to serve as an important resource for students who have not yet had the opportunity to study abroad. We ve designed the program for you to get as much out of it as you put into it, so we have ensured that it is flexible. Within the following pages you will find an outline of different tracks you can select. Each track will have an outline of different activities and tasks to be completed. This should be used as a basic guideline, but feel free to use your creativity to develop additional activities that you think would further raise awareness about the benefits of study abroad on your campus. Have fun with it! Before we dive into the details of the program, there are a few things we need to do first. Have you added us on social media? Be sure to follow us on Linked In, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. Throughout the duration of your semester, tag us in any photos, posts or tweets. You look cool, we look cool, and everybody wins! Remember now that you are an Athena Ambassador, you are representing not only yourself, but Athena Study Abroad and the education abroad office of your home institution. We re confident in your ability to carry yourself in a professional, respectful and positive way while completing your internship assignments.
Rewards! We understand how busy your life can be as a full time student and that school comes first. We get it; we were once college students too! However, we have selected you as an Athena Ambassador for a reason, and expect you to be comitted to your internship role by completing the following tasks and assignments in a timely manner. We ve selected you because we know you can do it! Since we know how much you are balancing while at school, we want to reward you for all of the hard work you put forth in this internship. We ve designed a points system, similar to a grading scale, in which you can earn cool prizes and rewards for each task completed. Simply fill out an online Assignment Log after you complete each task and we will tally up the points at the end of your semester. In order to keep track of how many points you are earning along the way, below we ve outlined how much each assignment is worth. 1 point: Mandatory Assignments & Every 10th Student Sign-up 2 points: Written Assignments 3 points: Hosting an Event, Getting Involved on Campus 5 points: Presentations, Information tables, Assisting Applicants At the conclusion of the semester, your Athena Mentor will tally your points and award your prize! Please note that you must do the mandatory tasks in order to ensure your prize. 15-20 points = $50 Amazon Gift Card 21-29 points = $100 Amazon Gift Card 29 or more points = $150 Amazon Gift Card Athena Ambassador of the Year We believe in rewarding hard work and want to recognize those who go above and beyond as an Athena Ambassador. At the conclusion of the school year one student (who has been an Ambassador for both the Fall AND Spring semester) will be awarded the Athena Ambassador of the Year. This student must be an active participant in the Athena Ambassador program for a full academic year in order to quality for this award. The recipient will be rewarded with an IPad Mini and an excellent resume builder. The Athena staff will choose the recipient based on the quantity and quality of assignments in addition to the levels of enthusiasm and dedication to the Athena Ambassador Internship.
Senior Ambassadors A senior ambassador is someone who has been an Athena ambassador for a semester or more and has been hand picked by Athena staff to oversee their fellow ambassadors. They will be responsible for following up with their designated ambassadors and keeping everyone on track. These senior ambassadors will also be a great resource for their fellow ambassadors. They will be available to answer any questions regarding task brainstorming, or task logistics. If you are selected to be an Athena Senior Ambassador, you are expected to meet with the ambassadors on your team bi-weekly as well as continue to complete your tasks as usual. You will meet with your Athena Mentor monthly to give updates on your ambassador team, although if you have any questions along the way please do not hesitate to reach out to your mentor more often. Senior Ambassadors may also be assigned to oversee certain projects, plan ambassador bonding events, and other tasks of this sort. Assignments Below you will find 3 different categories of assignments; Mandatory, General, and Tracks. The purpose of these different assignments is to provide you with a basic structure for your internship, however you are responsible for getting to know your campus and completing the assignments that will be most effective at your school. You will find next to each task a blank due date box. This box is for you to establish specific deadlines for yourself to help keep you on track as the semester gets busier. This is excellent practice in time management! (Hint: this is an important skill for your future career!) Bonus Points Throughout the internship your Athena Mentor will be getting to know you personally and keeping a close eye on your task activity. Your mentor at any time may choose to select you to assist on specific Athena projects which will result in bonus points. Students who are selected for these projects will have proven that they are dedicated ambassadors who produce quality work. Want more responsibility but haven t been approached by your Athena Mentor? No worries. There is still a chance for you to take your internship to the next level. and earn some extra bonus points. Tasks that have an opportunity for bonus points will be marked, so be sure to let you mentor know that you are interested so they can get you set up! Log Your Points! Once you ve completed a task, don t forget to log it in your online assignment log and submit the interested student names using the online sign up sheet. If you don t keep track of what you ve accomplished, we won t be able to award you afterward! Nobody wants that. Please note that many of the tasks will require photographic proof as a way to ensure that the task was completed.
Mandatory Assignments No matter which track you choose, each ambassador is required to complete the following mandatory assignments. ALL MANDATOY TASKS MUST BE COMPLETED WITHIN THE FIRST MONTH. If for some reason you choose not to complete these tasks you will not be elidgible for a prize at the end of the semester. **Please note that if you are a returning Ambassador you do NOT need to complete the mandatory assignments again. Mandatory (1 pt) Send in your Ambassador Bio & Photo Send us a professional looking head shot and fill out the online Ambassador Bio form so we can update our website with the newest additions to our team! Plus a little PR never hurt anyone. Mandatory (1 pt) Contact your school s Study Abroad Staff to let them know you will be an Athena Ambassador. Be sure he/she signs our Advisor Approval form. This is your chance to ask for suggestions of any additional activities you can participate in on campus and an opportunity to get to know the office and your adviser. Mandatory (1 pt) Fill out online reviews of your experience with Athena. Review sites abroad101.com, ratemystudyabroad.com, facebook, goabroad.com and gooverseas.com are wonderful resources for future study abroad students to gauge which program is right for them. These sites are growing in popularity and your input is valued by other students and the Athena team. And all you really have to do is write one killer review and then copy and paste it onto the other sites! Talk about easy. Remember to log when you ve completed the reviews for each of the above mentioned sites, as well as any other review sites you may come across. You will receive 1 point for completing all 5 reviews. ** Bonus points: Receive 1 bonus point for every Athena Alumni you get to submit all 5 reviews. Mandatory (2 pt) Complete a Location Sheet for each Athena Program. In order to help you learn more about all of Athena s programs (not just the one you went on), we require that you fill out a location sheet for each of Athena s programs. These sheets can be found on the Hidden Ambassadors Page We know this seems a bit tedious, but trust us, it will help as you are talking to students about Athena. ***Remember to log all of your Mandatory accomplishments by the end of February!
General Assignments Along with the track assignments, there are many other tasks you can use to rack up the points. Below you will find a list of recommended tasks. Tasks labeled Reoccuring can be completed anywhere from once a month to once a week. Tasks labeled General only require one time action. These tasks are where most ambassadors will gain their points, so start planning for these now! Reoccurring (1 pt) Give Athena 3 social media shoutouts Spread the word of your experiences online, whether it be Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. This can be as easy as tagging us in a photo, in a tweet, or linking us in a blog. Shout outs that do not mention/tag Athena will NOT be counted. Reoccurring (1 pt) Contribute to the Athena Alumni Networks Upon returning to the States you were added to Athena Alumni Networks on LinkedIn and Facebook. Help keep the conversation going by posting articles, helpful thoughts, or responding to comments. Keep the alumni pride alive! Reoccurring (5 pts) Do a study abroad presentation about your experience. In the past students have presented to their sororities/fraternities, during International Week, to one of their classes, during a language club meeting, during all scholars day, etc. You re encouraged to take photos and share on social media! Remember to bring an Athena catalog and signup sheet for interested students (Don t forget to log the names and e-mail addresses of interested students so you can get your extra points!) If you re having trouble deciding how to create a presentation, ask your mentor for suggestions. Reoccurring (3 pts) Plan a small party/information session for peers interested in study abroad. Past students have hosted at coffee shops, planned pizza parties, sundae making parties, movie nights, or even a dinner in the school cafeteria. Whether it is five friends or twenty new friends, your insight in studying abroad can help paint a better picture of the experience. Don t forget to log the names of interested students and get your extra points! Reoccurring (2 pts) Hang 5-10 Athena posters around your campus. Must obtain permission from your study abroad office to determine where and what you re allowed to hang. You can find the official Athena Posters in the Ambassadors Resources page! *Note: Must obtain approval from your Athena mentor before hanging any self designed poster.
Reoccurring (5 pts) Help an interested student start an Athena application Have a student who is interested in Athena? Help them start the application & pay their application fee. We encourage you to share your wisdom from when you completed the application process & to help the student navigate the waters of study abroad on your campus. **Please note that a student must pay the application fee in order for you to get any points for this task. Reoccurring (5 pts) Host an information table about studying abroad. This can be in your student center, cafeteria or wherever there is a lot of foot traffic. Students have found that making a poster for the table has been proven to be the most effective method of generating peer interest! Remember to bring an Athena catalog and signup sheets for interested students (Don t forget to log the names and e-mail addresses of interested students so you can get your extra points!) Bring photos of your experiences, souvenirs and anything else that might have a story to share! *Note: It is best to talk with the Study Abroad Office first to understand the best ways to gain approval to host such a table. General (3 pts) Get involved with a study abroad returnee club or volunteer as a peer advisor in your Study Abroad Office Share your experiences and wisdom from abroad with your peers who are just gearing up to go abroad or who have just returned. Many schools will have clubs or boards like this already, but if yours doesn t, start one! Check with your study abroad office too. Often times they will have peer mentors or office aids that help future students get abroad. This would be a great way to share your experience with Athena! General (2 pts) Sit with an Athena Rep at your schools Study Abroad Fair Every semester schools host study abroad fairs to show students their options for getting abroad. Once we learn when your school s study abroad fair is we will email you the date. All you have to do is carve out a chunk of time (or multiple if it s a long fair and you have class in the middle) to sit with the Athena rep. and help them tell your peers about our programs. General (3 pt) Make a video about your time abroad. In order to help future ambassadors learn the in s and out s of each program we are requesting videos from you about your time with Athena The video should be no longer than 5 minutes and should be an overview of the basic details about your program. I.E. housing, classes, professors, location, fieldtrips, etc. Once you ve completed the video please submit it using this link: https://www.hightail.com/u/athenaabroad
Tracks In an effort to make this internship all you want it to be and more, we have created several different tracks you can select for your internship. Below each month is a list of suggested general assignments as well as 3 different track options; Writers Track, Communication/Marketing Track, and Artist Track. At the beginning of the semester you will select which track you want to follow. You will then complete the suggested general assignments, as well as the assignments in your track. The tracks will be marked as followed: Writers - Writers track will be located in the BLUE boxes. Communication/Marketing- Comm./Marketing track will be located in the GREEN boxes. Artist - Artist track will be located in the RED boxes. These tracks were designed to help you focus your efforts and give a little boost to your resume. We also envision these tracks as a way to guage your strengths, so that when a need arrises at Athena, we can utilize your abilities. In these cases, when Athena seeks you out for a specific project, points will be assigned to each project ahead of time. Although there are specific tasks listed below each track, feel free to get creative and come up with your own. We want this internship to be fun as well as educational, so use what you love to share your experience! Don t see a track that fits you? Create your own! Mix and match what s in the tracks, or come up with a track completely your own. At the end of this handbook you will find a list of activities that you can use to get your creative juices flowing. Just be sure to meet with your Athena Mentor to approve your tasks and assign points.
Writers Track Reoccurring (2 pts) Write a creative news article about your experience. This assignment is completely open and can be about your overall experience abroad or simply a story about one experience in particular. Be creative and have fun with this article. Don t forget to include photos! Publish the article in your schools newspaper and send the final version to your Athena Mentor so it can be used in an Athena Study Abroad publication. School doesn t have a newspaper or it s just not cool on your campus? Look into other ways to get your message out. I.E. Stall Talks, Newsletters, Campus Facebook page, etc. (2 pts) Write a creative letter to your host city or country. This is your chance to tell your host city in a one to two page letter how it made you feel, what you learned and how it has changed you. Send it in to your mentor and we might just add it to our website!_ Reoccurring (1 pt/post) Write and maintain a travel blog directed towards future students Pass along that list of do s and don ts you ve gathered from your travels to future students thinking of going abroad. Make it a place for general travel advice, or feature specific locations and write your own travel guide...write about what you would have wanted to know before you went abroad. Send the link to your school s newspaper/social media rep. and to your Athena mentor. We would love to follow along and potentially link it to our website for students to follow along!_ (2pts) Write an article about study abroad on your campus. Use this artilcle to dispell common myths about study abroad on your campus. Tell students where to go to get started and share the tips and tricks you learned along the way. You can even interview the study abroad coordinator on your campus and ask them what advise they would give students wanting to study abroad. Publish the article in your schools newspaper and send the final version to your Athena Mentor so it can be used in an Athena Study Abroad publication. **Bonus Points Available. Contact your Athena Mentor for more information. ***Remember to log all of your Writing tasks!
Communication/Marketing Track (2 pts) Create a public service announcement for your campus radio/tv station Spread the word of your experiences through your local media stations. Talk to your schools AV/Radio club and see what is needed to get your announcement put on the air. If you need help coming up with content, ask your mentor for ideas. **Bonus Points Available. Contact your Athena Mentor for more information. (5 pts) Host a fundraiser at a local restaurant for study abroad scholarships Go to that local restaurant on campus that EVERYONE hangs out at and set up a day for a certain percentage of their proceeds to go towards study abroad scholarships. Then tell people about it! Make flyers, hang posters, broadcast to the campus your event. Let us know when this will take place and we will even help you market the event! Reoccurring (2 pts) Write a news article about an Athena Program. This assignment is completely open and can be about YOUR overall experience abroad or a program highlight of a different Athena program. Be creative and have fun with this article. Don t forget to include photos! Publish the article in your schools newspaper and send the final version to your Athena Mentor so it can be used in an Athena Study Abroad publication. School doesn t have a newspaper or it s just not cool on your campus? Look into other ways to get your message out. I.E. Stall Talks, Newsletters, Campus Facebook page, etc. **Bonus Points Available. Contact your Athena Mentor for more information. Reoccurring (5 pts) Give a presentation about your experience to your class. Select a class that you think could benefit from learning about study abroad, coordinate with your professor, and give a presentation about how your time abroad helped you become a better student Remember to bring an Athena catalog and signup sheet for interested students (Don t forget to log the names and e-mail addresses of interested students so you can get your extra points!) If you re having trouble deciding how to create a presentation, ask your mentor for suggestions. ***Remember to log all of your Communication/Marketing Tasks!
Artist Track Reoccurring (2 pts) Make a Poster for your host city or the Athena program you want to explore next Get creative and design a poster for either your city or your other favorite Athena location! Make sure your poster has contact information for Athena and you submit your design to your Athena Mentor BEFORE you hang them on campus. ALL POSTERS MUST BE APPROVED BY YOUR ATHENA MENTOR. We will review posters for accuracy, composition, and branding. The posters MUST BE DIGITAL so they can be replicated. Whether you create them digitally or create it and then take a photo, a digital verison is required. Once approved, hang the posters around your campus and share on social media. **Bonus Points Available. Contact your Athena Mentor for more information. (5 pts) Host an art fundraiser/auction for study abroad scholarships Find a central location on campus and hold an art fundraiser/auction (i.e. Art at the Fountains, Art in the Plaza, etc.). Set up a booth at the event to tell people about Athena or make the entire event international themed! Tell your artist friends about the event and have people either donate their art or sign up for a table to sell their art during your event. Make it so that a certain percentage of the artists proceeds goes towards study abroad scholarships. Let us know when you are hosting the event and we will even help you market! (3 pts) Host your own photo contest Create a campus wide photo contest hosted by Athena Create flyers, social media posts, and a forum for collecting photos. Let us know when you are planning your event and we will help you market! Athena is ALWAYS looking for great photos to freshen up our marketing materials as well, so pass along any good photos you get! *Please note that by passing the photos on to Athena, you must make the participants aware that their photos could be published by Athena. Need advise? Let your Athena mentor know and we can help you get started! Reoccurring (2 pts) Create an Athena Location photo gallery Create a photo gallery of 12 or more photos from your host city or an Athena location that you have visited. We like to see the goofy as well as the beautiful so send us the pictures of you and your friends having fun in all the iconic spots! Please note that by submitting your photos in the gallery you are giving Athena the rights to publish them in our marketing materials To submit your Photo Gallery use the following link: https://www.hightail.com/u/athenaabroad **Bonus Points Available. Contact your Athena Mentor for more information. ***Remember to log all of your Artist Tasks!
Additional Ideas? Want to add a little something to your track? Or looking to create your own? Here are a few ideas for tasks that you can sprinkle throughout your internship to get you those extra points and help you get the word out. Feel free to share any other ideas you might have with your Athena mentor. They will be able to appropriately assign points and guide you in the right direction. Past Examples include: Creating a study abroad FAQ article Writing an advice column for students headed to your host city Create and distribute a survey about study abroad on your campus. (Where would you go? What s holding you back? How long would you want to go etc.?) Keep a blog while you do your ambassador assignments for future ambassadors Participate/host a Lessons From Abroad Conference Don t forget! *Tag us in social media when you are hosting any table/doing a project/giving a presentation. *Let us know if you have any questions/concerns/suggestions You re always welcome to call or e-mail your Athena mentor if you are having trouble organizing an activity or need a suggestion for a challenging assignment!