By Abby Rathburn | Staff Writer
Students might notice the green polo and khaki shorts-clad guides walking around campus with groups of prospective students — but what goes unnoticed are the challenges of being a Baylor tour guide.
Fort Worth freshman and tour guide Gavin Schoffler said his role was curated to give students a good experience.
“There’s a system and intentionality behind everything you see and do at every event, whether that is just a campus tour on any day of the week, or it is those bigger prospective events, every part of that experience has been intentionally crafted to really provide students with the best experience they can have on campus,” Schoffler said.
Leelee Nelson, coordinator of campus visits, manages all of Baylor’s tour guides. Nelson said many families expressed gratitude toward the university for how Baylor runs its tours.
“I think it’s so genuine and so families really see that and see that this is a place that really values community, and values our Christian mission, and I think that just really shines through our campus tours,” Nelson said.
These positive experiences extend beyond prospective students. Ladera Ranch, Calif., senior Ellie Kolster said working as a tour guide has been “a huge blessing” during her Baylor experience.
“It’s really helped me grow as a public speaker, and get out of my comfort zone a little bit, because talking to people wasn’t something I was always super comfortable with,” Kolster said. “Having to do presentations or talk about the struggles that I’ve had at Baylor — it’s not always the most comfortable thing, but it’s definitely helped me in my growth overall.”
Kolster now serves on the leadership team as a Senior Bear, where she assists in training other tour guides and helps match prospective students with tour guides that share similar backgrounds or interests, highlighting the intentionality behind the scenes of the tours.
“Every morning you kick off with a morning huddle, which is just checking in with everybody, but then it’s also an opportunity to pray over the day and get your hearts in the right place to start things off right,” Schoffler said.
Nonetheless, tour guides are met with day-to-day challenges that make the job a difficult one. Kolster said it’s common for prospective students and their parents to ask difficult questions on the topic of religion, politics and overall campus demographics. But for Edmonds, Wash., freshman and tour guide Graham Icasiano, the reward far exceeds the challenges.
“It is kind of labor-intensive, but I think that that’s important because … we do want to make sure that the experience for visiting families, whether it’s alumni or prospective students, is really good,” Icasiano said.
For those looking to apply, Nelson said Baylor is hiring for summer and fall tour guide positions, giving students the opportunity to work anywhere between eight and 20 hours per week. More information can be found on the campus job board.
“We look for someone who has a love for Baylor, who’s excited and wants to talk to people about Baylor and just really show them how much they care about them,” Nelson said. “I think it’s always really great to see people who are really involved on campus, and I think that kind of goes with the love for Baylor.”
Icasiano, Schoffler and Kolster all said they were grateful for the community that being a tour guide provided them. Beyond leading prospective students around campus, each of them described forming close friendships with their fellow guides.
“I’ve gotten really close with people who work the same shifts as me, and I think it’s awesome because a lot of them are people that I otherwise would not have gotten to know,” Icasiano said.
