The Selection Process: Peer Tutors, TAs, and Student Ambassadors
Being chosen as a peer tutor, teaching assistant (TA), and/or student ambassador is a great achievement. In this article, Ms. Shields and Ms. Moreno-Jimenez clarify the selection process for each role. Ms. Shields is the founding director of the Writing and Tutoring Center and coordinates with the registrar’s office on the tutor selection process each spring. Ms. Moreno-Jimenez is an admissions officer at OHS and assists with the process of choosing new students as well as student ambassadors.
Peer Tutors
Peer tutors are chosen at the discretion of their instructors. In May, instructors are asked to submit nominations for students they would like to serve as peer tutors in the upcoming school year. Ms. Shields says that students who are chosen are usually those who have “demonstrated an advanced-level understanding of the course material and have served as leaders during class discussions through their thoughtful comments and/or encouragement and support of their classmates.” During the summer, nominated students are sent a letter inviting their participation in the program, which details the specific time commitment (two hours per week dedicated to tutoring and four hour-long training sessions). Students are then asked to submit a brief statement describing their interests and why they think they would be a good fit as a peer tutor. Students must confirm their participation and submit the requested information by the beginning of August.
Teaching Assistants (TAs)
Teaching assistants, also known as TAs, are nominated by instructors who want to mentor an exceptional student. TAs “work with their mentor instructor to develop lessons, activities, pursue research, and/or lead review sessions to support students’ learning throughout the year.” Whereas a peer tutor could be a student from any grade level, the ideal TA candidate would be a full-time junior or senior, even though the exceptional sophomore could also become a TA for a middle school course. Ms. Shields describes that TAs “possess a thorough and nuanced understanding of course material, are leaders in class discussions, are self-motivated, and demonstrate a desire to serve the OHS community” by working with an individual instructor on learning projects related to the course.
Student Ambassadors
Student ambassadors are nominated by an instructor or staff member each spring and then invited to apply for the role. The admissions staff review the applications and select the students for the remaining open spaces each year. While reviewing each application, staff members take into account a student’s ability to represent Stanford OHS. Ms. Moreno-Jimenez says that chosen Student Ambassadors are required to go through a training session, which will make sure that they “are prepared to speak to prospective families in a helpful and respectful manner as they share their deep knowledge about Stanford OHS’s community, services, academics, and more.” Current student ambassadors are asked if they would like to continue their role, but before doing so, they will still need to complete the training and fill out an application.
Student ambassadors are leaders in the OHS community, whether through clubs or student life at OHS in general, with a vast amount of knowledge about OHS’s countless programs and opportunities. Additionally, they are “academically excellent, and are extremely enthusiastic about sharing their Stanford OHS experience with prospective students.” They are “an entrusted, publicly facing representative of Stanford OHS, a representative of the student experience, not an admissions officer, [able to] communicate the mission and experience of Stanford OHS to prospective students and their families by participating in virtual events and Virtual Admit Day, and represent Stanford OHS in local and online communities.” It is important to note that the selection process for Student Ambassadors is “intentional and specific about identifying identities and interests represented by our student population.” Ms. Moreno-Jimenez says Student Ambassadors “should possess excellent interpersonal, verbal, and public speaking skills.”
The student ambassador mission statement is as follows: “As official student representatives of Stanford Online High School, student ambassadors are involved actively in the school's outreach activities in communicating the mission and experience of Stanford OHS to prospective students and their families.” Student ambassadors are asked to participate in various OHS events such as virtual admissions informational events, Admit Day, and college visits.
For any other questions regarding the peer tutor, teaching assistant, and student ambassador programs, contact Ms. Shields at kessloff@stanford.edu and Ms. Moreno-Jimenez at camila96@stanford.edu.