Chess in the Schools is dedicated to building a community of future leaders, and our College Bound Ambassadors are at the heart of this mission. This program allows students to step into leadership roles and develop real-world skills that will benefit them for years to come. Ambassadors play a crucial role in fostering a positive, inclusive, and fun environment for all College Bound participants. Each Ambassador applies just like for any job, taking on key responsibilities like leading Chess nights, helping new students integrate into activities, and introducing others to the program. We recently sat down with our new Ambassadors to hear how they’re feeling about stepping into their exciting new roles!

1. Why did you want to become a College Bound Ambassador?

Sophia Lin: Looking back to when I first joined the program, I was welcomed by amazing people whom I’m still friends with to this day. I hope to now pass that feeling on to the new students of CB and create an even better environment for them.

Julian Cancio: I wanted to become a College Bound Ambassador because I like positions of leadership that involve socializing and communicating with others. I believe that guiding and supporting my peers as they navigate high school will help them achieve their goals.

Elizabeth Hodge: My name is Elizabeth and I am a junior at College Bound and the Young Women’s Leadership School of Manhattan. As a College Bounds Ambassador, I hope to connect more with the College Bound/chess community. This as well as the fact that I regularly attend College Bound is why I wanted to become an ambassador.

Nihan Lobo: I wanted to become an ambassador because I wanted to be able to advocate for chess in more schools and to be fully able to encourage others. When I was in middle school I had to stop playing chess which made me lose many of those skills. Being able to really push forward chess and encourage teachers to set a program would be fulfilling for me. 

2. What do you hope to gain from this experience?

Sophia Lin: I’ve always been a social person, but one skill I always lacked was walking up to someone new first. During my time as an Ambassador, I hope to be able to confidently walk up to people without fear of rejection and in return have them open up to me. 

Julian Cancio: I hope to gain experience in communication and leadership among people of all backgrounds in high school. I hope to learn how to contribute to a more supportive environment and make everyone feel like they belong.

Nihan Lobo: I hope that I will be able to gain more experience when it comes to communicating and promoting to a younger audience about chess. However, most importantly I wish to be able to gain more friendships on the way. 

3. What does being a College Bound Ambassador mean to you?

Sophia Lin: Being a College Bound Ambassador to me means having the opportunity to create a welcoming environment for current and future students. Additionally, by having this leadership position, I want to be a role model of what a CB student is like for my underclassmen.

Julian Cancio: Being a College Bound Ambassador means advocating for those who need support throughout high school; it is a tough four years and it is not something students can journey through alone.

Elizabeth Hodge: Being a College Bound Ambassador means being active in the community and actively working to improve the experience for myself, my peers, and any future College Bound students as well as encouraging people to join the program because I believe that overall it has been very beneficial to me during my 3 years in high school.

Nihan Lobo: Being a College Bound Ambassador means representing others who are in the same community as me or aren’t. It means to me ‘lending an ear’ to others’ concerns and needs, from what they hope to get from the program as a whole and its outside matters that don’t necessarily relate to college-bound and chess but do affect others.

4. How do you envision contributing to your community as an ambassador? 

Sophia Lin: I envision myself connecting with fellow CB students and helping them create long-lasting friendships like I have with mine. By creating long-lasting bonds, the community will grow stronger thus fulfilling my hopes of creating a welcoming environment.

Julian Cancio: As an ambassador, I hope to foster connections with as many people as I can, whether they are students in College Bound or not. I also hope to promote the program to students who play chess. They will be in for a treat when accepted to the program.

Nihan Lobo: I envision a chess Ambassador to be able to attend schools surrounding my community and be able to talk with younger students surrounding their passion. As well as hosting fundraisers (if possible!) to help those in need to fund these programs in their school. (Like clocks, chess pieces, and boards.)

5. In what ways do you think being an ambassador can help you grow personally?

Sophia Lin: Despite being social, I’ve always felt more like a follower rather than a leader; always afraid to make the wrong decision. By being an ambassador, I believe I can improve my leadership skills and slowly become less afraid to be in the wrong.

Julian Cancio: Being a College Bound Ambassador will help me grow personally as it helps me talk to people who are outside my close friend group circle. I wasn’t always the type to make the first move and talk to others, so I believe this will help me develop skills to talk to anyone.

Elizabeth Hodge: I believe that being an Ambassador can help me to learn to be more outspoken, more involved in community building, and more outspoken as I try to promote the program to 8th graders that I have never spoken to. Overall, College Bound has been a big part of my life in high school, and being an ambassador has helped me to be more involved and improve a community that is very important to me.

Nihan Lobo: Being a CB Ambassador could help me grow out of my comfort zone, talk to more people, and encourage others. It also helps me learn more about myself, especially my strengths and weaknesses aside from the game of chess and in the game of chess!