For Thunderbird Campus Ambassadors

Skip to content

About & Ambassador GuideHow it works · before, during, after
Staff Admin

Ask
Tour
Explore

Tour Guide

Ambassador Guide

How to run a great tour.

Before During After

Step 1

Before the Tour

Arrive

Be at the front desk 10 minutes before the scheduled tour. Punctuality is important.
Running late? Call one of the CALT members.

Look the part

Dress code is business casual.
Wear your CA polo with slacks, skirts, and dress shoes.
No jeans or flip-flops.
Wear your Thunderbird name badge whenever you wear your CA polo at a CA event.

Bring the right attitude

Enthusiasm, respect, a professional approach, empathy, and punctuality.

Open the tour

Welcome your guests to Thunderbird, introduce yourself, and set the agenda.
Share where you're from, your major, year, and activities.

Step 2

During the Tour

Presence

Speak LOUDLY and CLEARLY and maintain eye contact.
Smile and show energy and enthusiasm. No gum.
You're not "selling" Thunderbird. Be friendly, enthusiastic, and honest — without overdoing it or seeming disinterested.
Don't make negative comparisons between Thunderbird and other schools.

Pace

Be conscious of time and keep the tour moving. Talk as you walk.
Make sure everyone in your group can hear and see what you're talking about.
Watch the walking pace. Elderly guests, young children, and guests with disabilities may need to rest or walk slower.

Step 3

After the Tour

Close the tour

Thank your guests for visiting campus.
Bring them back to the second-floor reception area. If they have nothing else planned, they can take the elevator down to the first floor and leave.
Have more meetings? Guide them there — typically Alumni Relations (second floor, left side of the ring) or the Student Success Center (second floor).

Log and report

Fill out the CA Hour Log Form (linked in the WhatsApp CA Group Chat description).
Share whether you feel the prospective students appear to have the "Thunderbird Fit." The admissions team values your input.
Check in with CALT about any problems with the tour or route: locked rooms, poorly chosen residence rooms, difficult questions, special concerns.

Conversation

Keep it appropriate and professional.
Explain any abbreviations you use (BGM, MGM, MLM, 4+1, etc.).
Tell tasteful personal stories: why you chose Thunderbird, what you like, what you do on campus. You're the expert.
In quiet moments, ask guests open-ended questions about themselves: where they're from, schools they're considering, what they're looking for.

Back-up stories

GCL / internships
Student employment
Alumni relationships and involvement
Thunderbird traditions: Pub Nights, First Tuesdays, Regional Nights
Student activities and student experience

If you don't know an answer

Tell guests you'll pass the question to the CALT or RA team, and they will follow up with an answer.

Pass along any questions you couldn't answer.