Admissions hired a new assistant director to manage student ambassadors and high school summer programs. 

Amelia Lawson, former operations coordinator for the Barney Charter School Initiative, said the admissions department created her position in mid-July due to the significant growth in prospective student programs and summer programs in recent years. 

“Those two things have grown so much that a counselor is no longer able to manage them in addition to their normal counselor responsibilities,” Lawson said. “Because it’s always been assigned as a second project or as a second responsibility to a counselor, there’s never been the opportunity for growth, and admissions would like to see these things grow and be better, more developed.”

Lawson said she’s been impressed by the existing admissions team for some time. 

“I’ve always admired the admissions office, even from afar, working in a different office,” Lawson said. “They’re really great people. They do really good work. They always seem super organized. And really, they do a great job of embodying the mission of Hillsdale College. That was always attractive to me.”

Lawson said she hopes to streamline the application process for summer programs and help student ambassadors implement important changes for the new academic year. 

Junior Luke Hollister, head student ambassador, works closely with Lawson and said she’s brought a unique perspective to the admissions department.

“She’s very intelligent and very process-focused, which means that she can see the whole goal of admissions,” Hollister said. “Because she came here from BCSI, she can see blind spots that admissions has had trouble seeing because of our closeness to the situation.”

Hollister explained that the aim of the student ambassador program is to ensure that each prospective student has a one-on-one experience with a student.

“The ultimate goal is to always have one ambassador for one student,” Hollister said. “That’s something most colleges don’t have. Most colleges have one ambassador for every five or 10 students. Very few colleges in the nation have such a built-out ambassador program.” 

Hollister said he and Lawson have collaborated to streamline the matching process and implement a new master schedule for the school year. 

Junior Jane Jeffes, director of continuing education on the student ambassador leadership team, met Lawson while she interned with admissions this summer. 

“She has been really amazing,” Jeffes said. “She’s super organized and determined. I think there’s definitely a new sense of motivation at the office. In every meeting that I have with her, there’s clear goals and a clear plan. She’s very purposeful in everything she does.”

Jeffes is working with Lawson to develop refresh training for student ambassadors. She said she appreciates Lawson’s open-door policy and willingness to help ambassadors with their issues. 

 “I think she does a good job of being involved in a job that actually does tend to be kind of hands-off,” Jeffes said. “She definitely wants to build a relationship with all our student ambassadors.”