Vanessa Matamoros, the Office's Veteran

I have been a career ambassador for over three years now and I can honestly say it has been one of my greatest experiences while being a student here at NSU. Through my time as a career ambassador, I have learned to adapt to situations and be prepared for any type of student that approaches me. I am hoping to enter the dental profession someday and the teamwork and communication skills I have acquired in this position will serve me a great deal when I need to work with patients and adapt to their specific needs.

Through my years of working as a career ambassador, I have earned the position of Lead Career Ambassador. I have had the pleasure of working with an amazing group of individuals on the CA team who are motivated and committed to improving the program and promoting for the office. My position as leader of this group has involved delegating duties, which was not always an easy task for me. When I began the CA program, I preferred completing duties on my own because I did not want to bother the other CAs. However, I quickly learned that this added more stress to my life and was not an efficient way to do my job. By learning to communicate with the other CAs, I found the value in compromising and negotiating so that everyone felt that their voice was heard.

It is very common for me to receive questions about my experiences at NSU after I inform the students about the office’s resources. This is my favorite part about being a career ambassador because I am able to build rapport with students and make them feel more comfortable about asking me questions. As a Biology student, I am able to connect with a large population of students on campus and answer questions that I have learned throughout my four years here, specifically about interview skills, personal statements, and research opportunities. I have been very fortunate to have found mentors over the years who have helped me with my professional development and academic planning. I highly encourage students to do the same and begin building a relationship with faculty members early in their undergraduate program. As a career ambassador, I hope to be a “buddy” and mentor to students who need guidance but do not know who to turn to for answers.