Office of Admissions Tour Guide
Spring 2022 - Spring 2024
From Spring 2022 through the present, I have been working as a tour guide for the Minnesota State University, Mankato’s Office of Admissions. My position holds many different responsibilities. I give personalized campus tours to prospective students and their guests, as well as tours to special visitors like prospective faculty and alumni. I also work in the office answering the phones, helping visitors, and connecting guests to other resources on campus. I work with a team of roughly ten other tour guides under two supervisors, and we all work together to provide a seamless campus visit experience and represent the university well.
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Going into this job, I felt a little nervous. While I had a lot of experience public speaking, this job required the ability to improvise and handle situations as they arise. I was confident in my ability to adapt, but I was still nervous that I would not know the correct answers to my guest’s questions or know where to direct everyone’s calls. I knew I had a lot to learn, but I was determined to work hard and give my guests the best experience possible.
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Once I started working, the reality of how much I needed to learn was extremely discouraging. At that point in my life, not knowing things felt humiliating, and this sometimes led to me not asking questions when I should have. I quickly learned that assuming things is not the right thing to do. I realized that one of the points of working as a team is to lean on each other so everyone can learn and grow. When I started asking questions and asking for advice, I became much better at my job.
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Working as a tour guide also helped me realize that adaptability is one of my biggest strengths. While leading tours, sometimes things would not go quite as planned. Occasionally I would run into issues, such as construction blocking our path or guests wandering off and talking over me. I learned that sometimes adaptability in leadership is working with what you have, and sometimes it’s creating a new path entirely. I paid attention to the group’s needs and worked through the issue in a way that was beneficial to them. For example, we could find a new route around the construction and show the group a new part of campus. Or I could help an uninterested guest by asking them questions or finding a way to include their interests in the tour. I approach every group as new and unique, and I look at every individual as an opportunity to learn and adapt.
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In my time as a tour guide, I’ve grown into a confident leader. I’m confident in my ability to lead unique groups and I’m confident in my ability to utilize all the resources available to me working as a team. I’ve also tried to become a resource myself. I’ve created training sheets for the new tour guides and helped with interviews and training. I’ve learned that hard work means being willing to humble yourself and ask for help, even when you are a leader. It also means being a resource for others as you’re able and instilling confidence in them when they come to you asking for guidance and mentorship.
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Going into my future career as an occupational therapist, there are going to be a lot of times when I need to lead a session and find myself unsure of how to proceed. Typically, occupational therapists have a team of other therapists working alongside them, and I know now that one of the benefits of having a team is that they can help you troubleshoot issues you don’t know how to work through. I’m also confident that when things don’t go as planned in my therapy sessions, I can adapt to the situation and find solutions on the spot that will help me provide the best care possible.
