Ambassadors selected to be programs' 'face' in the community

Professors in University of Houston-Clear Lake’s College of Education have invited 10 graduate student alumni to become ambassadors for the university’s graduate programs. An event was held earlier this year to initiate and celebrate these students who their professors hope will help market the graduate programs they’ve successfully completed and talk to prospective students about what it’s like to go through the programs.

The College of Education at UH-Clear Lake offers master’s degrees in Multicultural Studies in Education, School Library and Information Science, Reading, Early Childhood Education, Instructional Design and Technology, Counseling, Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Management and Teaching.

“These students are the touchstone for the university to the community,” said Assistant Professor of Reading and Language Arts Roberta Raymond. “We would like them to be the ‘faces’ of our program. Word of mouth is so powerful.”

Raymond, along with her colleagues Assistant Professor of Instructional Design and Technology Michelle Giles and Professor of Instructional Design and Technology Jana Willis said they were all products of these programs themselves.

Willis said the ambassadors would be able to represent the programs when faculty might be unavailable. “They’re going to be our liaison, our face and our voice,” she said. “They’ll be great advocates for our programs.”

Jaymee Todd Cooper graduated in 2019 with her master’s in library and information science and is currently the librarian at Stovall Primary in Aldine Independent School District. “I feel I got a great preparation and I learned everything I could need and beyond that to be ready for my position,” she said. “I envision myself as an ambassador for the College of Education at different recruiting events, talking directly to anyone interested in the program and letting them know my experience.”

Todd Cooper said she felt good about being an ambassador for her college. “Just before they asked me to be an ambassador, there was a recruitment event here at my school and I had the urge to go and let everyone know what it was like to go to UHCL,” she said. “I wanted to tell them about it even without being an ambassador. I am always encouraging my coworkers to attend UHCL. So, I am really happy to be an ambassador.”

Matthew Panozzo, who received his master’s in reading from UH-Clear Lake in 2016 and is currently a seventh grade English teacher at Annunciation Orthodox School in Houston, will also be an ambassador.

Panozzo said during his time at UHCL, he learned to see the education system beyond his own classroom and campus. “I always appreciated the hands-on experience and feedback from my skilled, passionate professors,” he said. “To this day, they continue to act as role models and mentors. As an ambassador, my message to prospective students would be that UHCL is a community that wants to see you strive for your dreams. It’s a very uplifting and motivating place to be.”

Learn more about degree programs available through UHCL’s College of Education.