Growing up, on every New Year’s Day, I found myself standing on the corner of Colorado and Orange Grove Boulevard as I looked on with admiration and fascination at the passing floats and bands. However, one of the warmest memories I experienced during the Rose Parade was when a volunteer bent down and stuck one of the Tournament of Roses logo stickers on my jacket as she smiled at me.
As ironic as it may sound, I still have that tiny little rose sticker up on my wall alongside all the other memories I will forever remember.
Until last year, I thought the only way to be involved with the Rose Parade was through the Royal Court tryouts, but when my school announced that the Tournament of Roses were looking for applicants interested in becoming a Student Ambassador, I immediately signed up.
Thankfully, since May of 2017, I have been honored with a once in a lifetime opportunity to serve as a representative for the Tournament of Roses by volunteering. From volunteering at local community events to supporting Tournament programs, such as Rose Queen Coronation, Equestfests, Bandfests and the Rose Parade, I have and will have the opportunity to learn from my experiences and develop social skills, as well as the opportunity to make a difference in someone else’s life.
One of the most frequently asked questions I get from family members, friends and peers is, what is a student ambassador? And as simple as the question is, I found myself wondering, what is a student ambassador? What do I do that is important to not only the people around me but also those that I don’t even know? Yes, I know I help out at a variety of volunteering opportunities and I get to learn everything there possibly could be about floats and the parade, but at the end of the day, what am I really doing? After some time, I finally found the answer that was lying in plain sight the whole time: positively impacting someone’s day even if it is as small as smiling or handing out small stickers and helping them put it on his or her jacket.
Even though a majority of the events that I will be involved with haven’t started yet, I know that there’s a world of adventures waiting for me while I continue to make a difference every step of the way.
TCHS School Newspaper