Many students might remember the initial tour they took of Kent State’s campus before officially becoming a Flash. For some, it may have been what solidified the choice to attend Kent State in the first place.

In these tours, there is a resourceful student who answers questions and shares their Kent State experience with prospective students.

Kent State students have the option to become a tour guide during their time at the university. Assistant Director of Admissions Aaron Berger said campus tours are designed “to help potential students to get oriented to campus.

“One of the universal skills that applies to every major in Kent State is communication,” Berger said.

He advised that becoming a tour guide helps students build those communication skills. Berger stressed that they do not necessarily look for the most outgoing students. More than that, they are interested in “students who love to communicate” and have a love for Kent State.

Tour guides take one to three families at a time around campus. The common stops they make are dining halls, model dorm rooms and the M.A.C. Center, but the guides also step into classrooms and lecture halls to show prospective students what to expect when attending Kent State. A typical tour also stops at the May 4 Memorial.

“Many people are really interested in the statue with the bullet hole,” said Ashley Yurkovich, a tour guide and junior nursing major.

Tour guides attempt to cater their tour to the major that the students and their families are interested in the most.

“I love it,” said Stephanie Connors, junior occupational therapy major. “You get to express yourself and the school you go to. They also work well with your schedule.”

Tour guides typically work an average of 10 hours a week, and are paid $8.50 an hour. Tours run Monday through Friday and last about 1.5 hours each. Many tour guides find the short shifts an easy commitment to make between classes, and they are not required to work every tour time in the week.

“I’ve toured since my second semester of my freshman year and I plan on doing it until I graduate,” said sophomore English major Jena Yambrovich. “I love the aspect of making or breaking a student’s decision to come here.”

Contact Nicholas Adkins at [email protected].