Student ambassadors will focus on supporting current on-campus outreach, along with increasing off-campus outreach with Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) and high schools in the Salt Lake Valley. Current students sharing their personal stories and pathways to our school will better position Transform in making connections with potential students. At the same time, we aim to provide our student ambassadors with professional development and community engagement, as well as critical skills in communication.
Meet our 3 founding Transform Ambassadors:
Sariah Frost (she/her)
Pacific Islands Studies Outreach Ambassador
Family Community and Human Development major
Psychology minor
Pacific Islands Studies Certificate
What are you the most excited about your role as Outreach Ambassador?
I am most excited to meet new people and to create a space that allows for us to really show people the importance of Pacific Studies! It’s a way that I can really give back to those that came before me and to show appreciation for where I and others come from!
Why did you choose your degree program and what do you plan to do with it?
I think it’s so important to learn about the Pacific Islander Culture, our own and those of our neighboring brothers and sisters. It’s a way for me and for all of us to give back to our ancestors and our history and to prepare for our future families.
What are your current academic and professional goals?
I want to become a Marriage and Family Therapist and I want to make a difference in the Pacific Islander Community and help them strengthen their families!
Brendan Hatch (he/him)
Transform Outreach Ambassador
Gender Studies and Psychology majors
Sociology minor
What are you the most excited about to be a Transform Outreach Ambassador?
I’m mostly excited to introduce Gender Studies, and really all of Transform, to students looking to expand their horizons during their time at the U. I’ve met a lot of amazing people who have shown me how intertwined and beneficial Gender Studies can be with my goals of becoming a psychologist and Transform has become another place I can call home. I hope that more and more people join Transform and forge similar experiences for themselves!
Why did you choose your degree program and what do you plan to do with it?
I chose to major in Gender Studies after taking Intro to Feminist Theories which was a shared elective with Psychology and found that Gender Studies could help better prepare me for becoming a psychologist.
How would you describe your most memorable experience in Transform?
By far my favorite course within gender studies, and probably all of my time at the U, has been Dr. Diamond’s Gender and Sexual Orientation class. I made an amazing group of friends in that class and a lot of us have joined Dr. Diamond’s research lab and are TAing for her Love and Relationships class this semester. It’s been great to make friends within queer spaces with people who just accept me for everything I am.
What are your current academic and professional goals? Right now, I am working with Dr. Diamond to complete my honors thesis which is focused on social safety among multiracial individuals and I hope to graduate in the spring. After graduation I am planning to attend the U as a grad student in either the PhD or M. Ed. program. I am currently thinking about becoming a school psychologist or couple’s counselor.
Talea Steele (she/hers)
Transform Outreach Ambassador
Ethnic Studies Major
What are you the most excited about to be a Transform Outreach Ambassador?
I am most excited to further develop connections while building new ones and to build a sense of community where people feel supported. As an Ambassador I hope I’m able to help people find what they are passionate about and pursue it. Transform has a lot of great programs, and I can’t wait to help people connect and get started with them!
Why did you choose your degree program and what do you plan to do with it?
I chose a degree in Ethnic Studies because it includes a lot of topics that I’m passionate about, there are so many great people within the program that want to make a change in the world, and it makes learning much more enjoyable! With my Ethnic Studies degree I plan on going into a Master’s Program in Public Policy. My ultimate goal is to write policy for Prison/Jail and the Justice System as a whole. I also hope to work directly with families and communities that have been directly impacted by Mass Incarceration.
How would you describe your most memorable experience in Transform?
I haven’t had too many experiences (yet), but last year I was able to take a Diversity Scholars Ethnic Studies course. At first, I was very intimidated since everyone in the course had been enrolled all year and I was joining 2nd semester, but all of the students were so welcoming to me. I have truly made so many friends on top of learning so much in the course. Now I am doing the Second Year Experience and it is just so nice to know familiar faces and catch up with the people I made friends with. It is also very refreshing to get to know new people and to talk with people who have like-minded ideas and are passionate about what they are studying.
What are your current academic and professional goals? Currently, my goal is to finish out this semester and next semester strong with good grades while also learning all I can from my courses. In the near future I would like to do an internship and to work with more people who have similar careers to what I would like to do. I would also really love to do a study abroad program.