Mary Baldwin University is looking for a few good alumni volunteers to assist with admissions efforts nationwide.
The Baldwin Recruitment Alumni Volunteer Organization, or BRAVO, connects alums from all over the country to admissions fairs — particularly in busy areas where counselors need a helping hand or in locations outside counselors’ normal travel zones.
“We are absolutely looking for alumnae volunteers. Right now, we are reaching out to have alums join us at fairs that are particularly busy and where a second set of hands would be helpful,” said Senior Admissions Counselor Emily Parker ’13. “I think it is important for students to hear from alums that don’t necessarily work for the university, but who just loved their experience and want to give back and allow someone else to have that experience.”
Lisa-Marie Beckwith ’08 became involved with BRAVO by staying current on the MBU alumni page. She completed a survey and indicated that she would love to be active with not just alumni but also with MBU recruitment.
When she was a prospective student, Beckwith attended two overnight visits and she and her parents attended socials with the Richmond alumni chapter. Now an alumna herself, she wanted to show that level of support for prospective students.
“My first impressions of MBU came from admissions and alumni. It’s our university’s first opportunity to show a student and her parents how she will grow into a confident, strong, successful woman,” Beckwith said. “The first handful of interactions I had with MBU solidified my parents and my own decision [to attend Mary Baldwin]. I want to be part of that legacy for MBU, showing students and parents that we are a family, and extending that same impression I had into the lives of future students.”
She recently attended an admissions fair for Chesterfield County Schools.
“The experience is exhilarating! You have anywhere from two to five minutes of students’ and parents’ attention in the midst of a busy, loud fair to try and show them why MBU is the fit for them,” Beckwith said. “The MBU admissions staff and I made a great tag team, as MBU’s programs have expanded since my time there and the admissions crew was able to answer some of those technical questions I wasn’t as sure of. As an alumna, I was able to reach out to parents and students to tell them my experiences and my reasons for choosing Mary Baldwin.”
Another way to help, Parker said, is for alumni to write letters to prospective students. This fall 16 alums wrote to more than 350 students telling them about their positive, personal Mary Baldwin experience.
To volunteer, sign up online. Or for more information, contact Parker at 540-887-7023 or eparker@marybaldwin.edu. For those who show interest in assisting with college fairs, admissions will be in touch with a date and time for an online training session for alumni volunteers.