Become a Student Ambassador!
I have honed my grant research/ writing skills and excel spreadsheets skills as a student Ambassador. Teamwork and coordination play a vital role in development work. Process development is trivial but indispensable for a non-profit organization. I enjoyed my Ambassador experience at MBEP. Thank you for this.
The student ambassador program gave me key experiences in how a non-profit organization functions. The flexibility of the program also gave me the access to try out different projects and learn about several different avenues within the organization, such as social media and marketing, newsletter, and grant research.
Through my internship over the summer, I learned many valuable work-based technical skills like working with WordPress and using NEON CRM. As a Student Ambassador, I also had many opportunities to expand my professional network by attending events like MBEP’s State of the Region, Drones Automation Robotics Technologies Symposium, professional business mixers, and numerous community and college career fairs. I was encouraged to attend webinars and workshops for my own personal and professional development; opportunities I would not have been able to participate in on my own as a student. I’m so grateful for the encouragement, support, and guidance of Hayley, Ashley, and the entire team at MBEP. It has been such a valuable opportunity during my college experience and has given me the skills I needed to further my career. The greatest part of this experience was being offered a part-time paid position with MBEP as their Workforce Development Associate.
I began my journey of promoting Monterey Bay Career Connect and MBEP’s workforce development initiative in the Fall of 2018 and, through the coaching of Program Specialist Ashley Gauer and Program Manager Hayley Mears, I experienced the opportunity to network with so many wonderful and ambitious individuals. Amongst my duties and experiences, I was blessed with the opportunity to speak in May on a student panel at the Industry-Education Counselor Summit and share parts of my story. Never have I ever had the confidence and ease of assisting students to navigate their dreams and job searches. Monterey Bay Career Connect and Monterey Bay Internships have made access and availability for student success a game-changer. As for my future and what it entails: I will forever be an ambassador of MBEP and my hope is that I can continue to inspire and motivate students from all lifestyles to take charge and push towards your dreams. My number one takeaway from this internship is that when you’re willing to learn and step out on faith, there is nothing you cannot accomplish.
I was fortunate enough to come on board for a small handful of months while finishing my final semester at Cabrillo College. I knew that I would be promoting the MBEP initiatives at high school and college events, but as is true with most opportunities, I gained more than what I initially realized was possible. Through the coaching and care of Program Specialist Ashley Gauer and Program Manager Hayley Mears, I found myself attending Chamber of Commerce Business Expos, mingling with local entrepreneurs seeking to make an impact on our communities in a tangible way. I was presented with information to inspire and direct students of all ages towards the resources that the amazing people at Monterey Bay Career Connect and Monterey Bay Internships have made available for student success. Moving forward into my Business Leadership studies at San Jose State, my attendance at the MBEP’s Economic Summit gifted me real insight into what it means to be a leader and what it takes to walk one’s talk. My No. 1 takeaway from this ambassadorship has to be that, as a community willing to work together, there is nothing we cannot accomplish. I am proud to have been a part of this collaborative and supportive organization.
Through MBEP’s SA program, I was able to network and spread free resources available to students, colleagues and friends regarding internships, scholarships, resume building, and more.
Program Description
Student Ambassadors are college-level or graduate students enrolled at a higher education institution in the Monterey Bay region (Cabrillo College, CSU Monterey Bay, Hartnell College, Middlebury Institute of International Studies, Monterey Penisula College, UC Santa Cruz) who participate in work-based learning at Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP) with the opportunity to earn a stipend or academic credit.
We are a regional nonprofit membership organization consisting of public, private, and civic entities located throughout the counties of Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz. Founded in 2015, our mission is to improve the economic health and quality of life in the region. Student Ambassadors work with the following MBEP Initiatives:
Workforce Development: to create positive change through collaborative approaches that bring new resources to the region, amplify the impact of best practices, encourage the growth of start-ups and other companies, and help ease the transition of students to the workforce. Student Ambassadors will become developed student leaders and role models at each college campus who will help educate the community (e.g. students, staff, families, student organizations, etc.) on the college and career resources offered on Monterey Bay Career Connect (mbcareerconnect.org) and Monterey Bay Internships (mbinterns.org) programs. Student Ambassadors get the opportunity to inform and inspire emerging young professionals and offer unique professional development opportunities to students across the Monterey Bay region. Other projects will involve social media, outreach campaigns, website projects, and more!
Housing: to support an increase in the supply of all housing at all income levels in the Monterey Bay region.
Climate Change: to support and engage its members and community network on collaborative efforts that advance effective climate change solutions for a sustainable planet and economy - one that is clean, safe, fair, healthy, and resilient. We are looking for college- and graduate-level students passionate about environmental, climate, and social justice; and who are interested in connecting with other motivated and dedicated students to create a region-wide Climate Ambassador Collaborative. Student Ambassadors will have an opportunity to work individually or with a team to provide technical assistance to our members that request support and/or on an in-house project or task force. Technical assistance could include anything from research, due diligence, data collection, data analysis, reporting, business writing, marketing, social media, graphic design, video, stakeholder and community engagement, public speaking, grant writing, event planning, and/or web editing in the following focus areas: climate action planning and implementation, forest resilience, renewable energy, and sustainable agriculture, building, and infrastructure in urban planning and transportation.
Benefits
We provide a flexible, remote work schedule with the opportunity to earn academic credit, UC Santa Cruz work-study wages (if eligible), and/or a stipend upon completion. Student Ambassadors will be recognized and featured on our website and communications, at different events, and on a rotating basis in MBEP’s Monterey Bay Career Connect quarterly newsletter. We will also provide a LinkedIn recommendation, letter of reference, and the opportunity to attend MBEP’s annual conferences for free ($150 in value)!
Minimum Qualifications
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Any college-level student or graduate student enrolled at a higher education institution in the Monterey Bay region
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Commit to a minimum of one quarter or 3 months
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Interest in MBEP's mission and the work of our initiatives
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Responsible, self-motivated, and quality communicator
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Ability to work remotely, access to a computer or laptop, and reliable WiFi
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Reliable transportation when needed (carpooling will be offered when appropriate)
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Experience with social media: Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube (preferred)
General Responsibilities
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Attend online orientation
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Engage in an online group and 1:1 check-ins
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Work remotely with MBEP staff and/or partners
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Document activities and hours worked
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Develop and report out on deliverables with assigned Supervisor
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Attend at least one MBEP event (online or in-person)
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Coordinate any relevant coursework for academic credit (optional)
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Participate in an Exit Interview
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Write a 2 paragraph article about your experience as a Student Ambassador for MBEP public relations
General Timeline
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Onboarding: assess and identify interest areas and initiative priority areas, attend orientation and training, complete internship agreement and initial scope of work, coordinate hours with Supervisor
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During: identify, develop and execute work-based project(s) or research, attend monthly check-ins, fulfill deliverable deadlines, participate in events and professional development opportunities
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Completion: submit deliverables & summary brief for our newsletters, submit rewards checklist to qualify for stipend and certificate, participate in an exit interview
I'm Interested!
Interested students are encouraged to contact Ashley Gauer, Project Manager, at agauer@mbep.biz with a cover letter and resume. Qualified candidates will be contacted via email to schedule a phone interview. Don't have a resume? Sign up for free to use our online Resume Builder to create one! Helpful information to include in your cover letter:
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Express your interest in becoming a Student Ambassador with MBEP (e.g. why are you interested in MBEP’s work? What are your goals?)
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Describe the initiative or project(s) you would be interested in working on at MBEP
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Include any skills and abilities that you already have and/or would like to acquire or augment during your internship at MBEP
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Share any campus and/or community involvement you've participated in