By Carmen Chandler, CAHNRS Academic Programs
A Corvallis, Ore. native and born and raised Beaver, Madison Escobar’s experiences as an ambassador at Washington State University’s College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences (CAHNRS) drive her hopes and goals as the group’s newly elected president.
Deciding on what school to attend was not as easy as choosing her major, but WSU Pullman made a strong impression. By her senior year of high school, Madison knew that she wanted to go out of state for college, but she still searched for a town with the same feeling that she grew up with.
“Washington State University felt like home in the sense that it was a small-town community that I like, and I wanted to go somewhere new and have new experiences for my undergraduate education” she said.
Madison, a third-year Animal Sciences student on the pre-veterinary track, is applying to veterinary school this upcoming summer. Madison recalls that “animals have always been my passion from a very young age.” She said that studying animal sciences in college was a “perfect fit”, especially given her history of caring for family pets.
Madison began working with the Ambassadors in April 2021 when she found out about the program through her Animal Sciences advisor. When she started, the Ambassadors operated differently – they were fully remote due to the Covid-19 pandemic. As WSU reopened its doors in August 2021, Madison didn’t know what to expect going into her first in-person semester as an ambassador. However, this year has brought the ambassador team closer together.
“One thing I love about our team is how connected we all are,” Madison explained. “We are all from different majors, backgrounds, and areas of study. We all have the commonality of being super passionate, driven, and excited about our respective areas of study.”
In-person classes have introduced Madison to a new experience as an ambassador.
“I love working with people who have the same mindset as me and working with students who are passionate about spreading awareness to prospective students and getting the CAHNRS name out there,” Madison said.
The ambassadors serve as a student leadership organization that provides a connection for prospective students to gain knowledge of CAHNRS academic programs. Ambassadors encourage higher education and create awareness of opportunities within the fields of study that the college provides.
Becoming the group’s president was not originally the plan for Madison. “I knew that I wanted to push my involvement more. We had election nominations coming up and I knew I wanted to do something on the executive board, but I didn’t know what I wanted to do” she said.
Before elections, Madison said she was nominated by the current CAHNRS Ambassadors President.
“That felt really cool that he saw that potential in me,” she said.
Madison officially took over as president in late December, and already has plans for the Ambassadors program.
With her experience at WSU, Madison has advice for students considering enrolling in a CAHNRS program. She recommends talking to an ambassador or a student who is in the program, in addition to researching online.
“We have great information on our websites about the majors” she said. “And talking to students is a great way to understand a student’s perspective of being in CAHNRS”.
For current WSU students interested in being an ambassador, Madison suggests attending recruitment events throughout the semester. To become an ambassador, there is an interview application process twice a year at the end of each semester. Further information about the ambassadors can be found on the CAHNRS website.