Misty morning rain fell as Nicole Geduldig, SOC/BA ’26, began walking and talking from the Katzen Arts Center on a familiar loop around American University’s campus.

Donning a bright red pair of Converse sneakers, she led six visitors from North Carolina and New Jersey on a tour of AU to learn what the university is really like. Over the next 75 minutes, the public relations major showed them—providing an overview of academic life, showing off the quad, and sharing resources that support students. She took them to a dorm room, told them about the Terrace Dining Room, and pointed out examples showcasing AU’s commitment to sustainability.

But she also shared aspects of campus life that cannot be googled—her friend who plays the pipe organ in Katzen and her favorite lunchtime routine (sushi from Kerwin Hall). She told visitors about creating her own flashlight at the Design and Build Lab and where she lands in an ongoing—and friendly—rivalry among campus coffee shops.

“I’m a Dav person,” she said proudly in front of the Davenport Coffee Lounge’s bamboo entrance, ceding that the Bridge has better pastries. “Barack Obama came to AU and tried both. He said the Dav is better.”

Geduldig is one of 48 AU Ambassadors who lead thousands on tours each year, staff the Welcome Center, and attend regional admissions events from New York to California to Puerto Rico. It’s a prized and important campus job, and each year, more than 100 students apply for just a few openings.

“Often, they are the first and only impression visiting students and their families will get of AU,” said Tiana Hakimzadeh, SOC/BA ’12, director of on-campus programs, who oversees the ambassadors. “The 75 minutes that they have when they’re giving their tour is all they have to sell families [on] AU. That’s a lot of pressure to put on undergraduate AU students, but they do a good job.”

On Friday, the ambassadors’ work will reach a fever pitch as they help host about 2,000 admitted students for New Eagle Day. As they fan out across campus for the important event, ambassadors’ affinity for AU will be front and center.

“The reason why I love going to school here is the people,” said Laura Fuji, SPA/BA ’27, who is in her first semester as an ambassador. “Everyone has been friendly and welcoming—but they’re also driven and motivated about what they’re pursuing, which encourages me to do my best in classes and study what I’m passionate about. AU on paper had everything I was interested in, [then] I found my community and my group of people here.”

Lucy Lavigne, SIS/BA ’25, who grew up outside of Dallas, Texas, has spent time on campus since the fifth grade and fell in love with AU long before she enrolled.

“I always knew that I wanted to come to AU,” said Lavigne, who will start at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law in the fall. “My aunt and my family, they live really close to campus, so I grew up coming to campus in the summers [and] going on tours. I kind of felt like I knew a lot about AU before even coming [here].”

Since joining AU Ambassadors in her second semester on campus, the job has become a favorite part of her college experience.

“Something that really makes the job special to me is that AU Ambassadors are like [our] own community,” Lavigne said. “I really enjoy when we hang out outside of work. You get close, and we have dinners, get coffee, and have different events. It’s nice to feel like you have more friends as a result of the job.”

What the AU Ambassadors Are Saying:

• “It always brings a smile to my face when I see a tour on campus,” said Emma Southern, SPA/BA ’24, a former ambassador who is now a data analytics specialist in the Kogod School of Business. “When I see one of the ambassadors that I know, I always wave, and they wave back. I want to [continue] to give the impression that AU is a welcoming campus.”

• “I like talking about the school. I’m a STEM student, so I like telling people about STEM,” said Megan Williams, CAS/BS ’26. “Don Myers is my favorite stop because I get to talk about everything I’ve done and recruit more people that wouldn’t necessarily choose the school because it’s [more] politics driven.”
• “I had a friend who got the job, and I saw what he did. He always talked highly of being a tour guide. It was one of the highlights of his day, and I got to hear all the fun stories that he got from being a tour guide,” said Fuji, who likes telling visitors that Olympian Katie Ledecky and the Obama daughters have all swam in AU’s pool. “He encouraged me to apply in the fall, and I did, and I was lucky enough to get it this semester.”
• “My tours are always different. I can say the exact same things, but the jokes may be different, or my answers may change on certain things,” said Tyler Brown-Dewese, SPA/BA ’25. “I like this job because I love talking to folks.”
• “[AU] is so different than I remember 30 years ago, but it’s beautiful,” said Meghan O’Connor, WSP ’92, who made a quick trip to campus for a tour from New Jersey with her daughter, Cate, a high school junior interested in film. “The campus has really developed and grown up. I love this little oasis feeling here, but [with] easy access to DC.”