The Kevin Harrington Student Ambassador Program, named after the former President of the Massachusetts State Senate and late member of the Saint Anselm College Board of Trustees, is one of the newer programs at Saint Anselm College.

Members of the program are responsible for coming up with event ideas, contacting the speakers and coordinating the events.

Event coordination involves giving tours of the institute to visitors, greeting and introducing the speaker and writing thank you letters.

Some ambassadors even utilize social media and live-tweet the events.

Since its inception, the program has experienced a great deal of growth, as is explained by Neil Levesque, Executive Director of the NHIOP.

“When I arrived here at Saint Anselm five years ago, there were eight student ambassadors,” he shared. “We now have over 100.”

According to Levesque, the expansion of the program was a no-brainer.

“Without them, this place ceases to be the heartbeat of politics that it is,” he said.

The rapid expansion of the Ambassador program has also been beneficial to current Ambassadors, as potential employers are constantly calling the NHIOP looking for students with an interest in politics and experience in event organization.

Senior Anna Maziarz shared that Ambassadors is “a good networking program,” as ambassadors get “an opportunity to meet people” that have been invited to speak at any and all events held at the Institute.

Maziarz is also quick to add that “It’s not only politics majors who are Ambassadors,” as any student with an interest in politics is welcome to apply for a position in the ever-expanding Program.

There are several requirements that need to be met for consideration into the Program though. The applicant must work three events each semester, attend several other NHIOP events and activities and assist in on-site coordination of speaker and candidate appearances, among other things.

The expansion of the Program is both necessary and important for the school, with Saint Anselm College looking to expand it’s influence in the Northeast and beyond.