Walking backwards: It鈥檚 a specific and unique skill set developed by a small, but mighty group whose mission is to convince prospective students that 性视界传媒 Engineering is the place to be.
鈥淚t's hilarious when we hit something 鈥 I promise you, I laugh too,鈥 said Taylor Gauthier, lead Engineering Student Ambassador (ESA), as she toured a small group of soon-to-be 性视界传媒 students through the Advanced Engineering Building. 鈥淏ut please let me know if we鈥檙e going to hit something, especially stairs. That's a step too far in my opinion.鈥
Gauthier鈥檚 opening instruction as she began the Friday afternoon spotlight tour was also paired with another request: Ask questions.
鈥淒erail us,鈥 she said. 鈥淟et鈥檚 go on a completely different tangent. It's so much more fun that way. This is your tour.鈥
The ESA program and their student-led tours are a signature part of the College of Engineering鈥檚 recruitment effort. The program is also one of the contributing factors in the college achieving its highest enrollment milestone ever 鈥 700 first-year students entered the college in fall 2025.
鈥淲hat makes the ESAs so successful is their ability and pride in showing students what they鈥檙e doing in the labs, in the classrooms, and showing them around the institution,鈥 said Barb Roberts, acting senior vice provost for Academic Affairs and associate vice president for Enrollment Management. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e showing prospective students what it's like for them to be here on campus.鈥
Unlike traditional recruiting which usually involves a professional employee attending a college fair and giving a structured presentation to catch as many students as possible into the 鈥渘et,鈥 Roberts says the ambassadors are experts at 鈥渟pear fishing.鈥
鈥淭hey're the ones who can go in with a very finely tuned spear, and they鈥檙e going to hit at exactly the thing that that one particular student needs because they're talking from their own student perspective,鈥 Roberts said, adding that hearing from other students can inject authenticity into the peer-to-peer interaction.
This surfaces often, according to Rachel De Vera, the engineering undergraduate recruitment coordinator who leads the student team.
That team includes Keziah Blundell, an ESA and an entertainment technology and design major, who has convinced many prospective students to join her in the entertainment engineering program.
鈥淵ou have someone who comes who says they want to do 鈥榖lank鈥 major,鈥 Blundell said. 鈥淚 do the presentation and their eyes light up when I start talking about entertainment engineering. They鈥檙e like, 鈥業 didn鈥檛 even know this was a program. What do you mean this is in my backyard?鈥欌
While other colleges on campus employ a similar ambassador model, Roberts, said, many only have one student dedicated to the effort. She would like to see other academic units to invest more deeply in the ambassador model. And, if they did, they would have a strong blueprint to follow in Engineering, Roberts noted.
Since 2015, the ESA program has grown and expanded, with the team now boasting nine student members and six others currently in training. But now, expansion of current efforts could be in jeopardy with the loss of a major funding source this spring. While they search for additional funding sources, and with the support of college leadership, De Vera and her team are committed to keeping the momentum going. Their eyes are on welcoming an even bigger first-time class this coming fall.
Inspiring Students to Choose STEM
When De Vera started, the ESA team comprised four students with limited availability, which made it more difficult to visit the schools and attend the events for prospective students. Under her leadership, the team has grown and each ESA earns $18 per hour plus a $500 scholarship upon completion of 85 service hours. Most ESAs fulfill over 100 hours each semester.
With the additional investment, the team has diversified its outreach to more students, beyond just the traditional technical academies, and also connected with students at the middle school level.
鈥淲e are lucky in finding students that really care about the cause,鈥 said De Vera, adding that Gauthier has set a strong example for newer team members with her zeal for getting students interested in STEM.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been monumental to our success,鈥 she said. 鈥淢y strongest belief is that students don't join schools; recruitment is really students joining people that they connect with, that they see themselves in. We do our best to be a very diverse team with open minds that are willing to learn and go the extra mile to really inspire students to choose STEM.鈥
On most Fridays, you can catch Gauthier, a senior double majoring in computer science and math, energetically showcasing what sets the 性视界传媒 College of Engineering apart from other engineering programs.
鈥淲e very much care about water research here. Vegas is a desert, but we actually have some of the best water treatment centers in the entire world,鈥 Gauthier extolled as the group stopped by AEB鈥檚 third-floor research lab.
Earlier in the tour, her eyes widened with excitement as the group stopped outside of AEB鈥檚 Maker Space and she passed along a sample of a 3D-print in the shape of a tiny banana made from medical-grade filament. It was squishy.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e able to 3D-print different textures as well as different densities with the equipment in the Maker Space,鈥 she said. 鈥淪ome really fun stuff.鈥
As the group toured other spaces across the Engineering complex 鈥 all the while hearing about the unique clubs that enrich the student experience 鈥 she also frequently sprinkled in insider tips that any college student should know, like: 鈥淎 good relationship with a professor leads to letters of recommendation, or taking a graduate-level class as an undergraduate.鈥
鈥淎dmissions does a great job with their general 性视界传媒 tour. But we're able to focus on our thing and really hype it up, which is super fun, because again, no two engineering programs are the same in any college,鈥 Gauthier said. 鈥淪o being able to talk about the things that make us special, leads to us making a really good connection with a student.鈥
One of Gauthier鈥檚 favorite stops is the drone research laboratory. Zachary Friedmann, a Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering, always makes time for the prospective and admitted students who cram into the tiny space to check out the drones.
As the group filed in, Friedmann explained how the drones they鈥檙e developing are meant to isolate radiation sources either before or after an incident involving a radiological release.
鈥淚 wouldn't want to be the guy out there with a Geiger counter trying to pick up pieces of radioactive reactor core,鈥 he shared. 鈥淪o instead, we're going to try and do it with a drone. Drones are cheap, people are not. That's the whole goal.鈥
Isaac Mendez, one of the students on the tour who will attend 性视界传媒 in the fall, and who had been quietly listening throughout much of the experience, lit up with questions for Friedmann.
鈥淗e really wants to do electrical engineering, but I love how they鈥檝e touched on the different parts of engineering and different disciplines,鈥 said Jacqueline Hernandez, who accompanied Mendez, her son, on the tour. 鈥淚 can tell it鈥檚 piqued his interest in a variety of different disciplines. So, I鈥檓 curious to find out if he鈥檚 going to want to stick with electrical or if he鈥檚 going in a different direction since the tour.鈥
Beyond the success the team has achieved through the Spotlight tour, they鈥檝e upped their social media game, promoting Engineering programs, recruitment events and student clubs through trendy and fun videos. They鈥檝e also recently developed a newsletter that goes out to local high school students and guidance counselors.
If the sky was the limit 鈥 and a new community or industry partner is cultivated 鈥 De Vera has plans and ideas to do even more.
鈥淥ne thing that is coming to the forefront, is a Spanish-speaking presentation as well as Spanish materials, because that's a lot of our community here in Las Vegas,鈥 she said, adding that ESAs Christian Santiago Moran and Jesus Ortega recently created a fully-Spanish presentation 鈥 and showcased it to a group of 20 prospective students 鈥 for the first time. Blundell, who is Canadian, has also suggested more support for the international student community.
Adding more team members to their numbers, however, is always top of mind for De Vera.
And, for those who are interested in applying, the ESAs say it鈥檚 one of the best investments they鈥檝e made 鈥 more fulfilling than any other on-campus positions.
鈥淵ou're changing other people's lives. You're changing the community in a sense,鈥 said Gauthier. 鈥淭here's no studying on company time here, guys. I'm working, I'm talking, I鈥檓 engaging with students every time I 鈥榗lock in.鈥 I lost my voice probably more times than I can count on our tours, but it鈥檚 worth it. We're doing something impactful."