Sheridan STARs help lead the way at open house

STORY BY DONTEI WYNTER
PHOTO BY ANNE WHITEHEAD

Guests/students tour the Crafts and Design furniture and textiles exhibit in Sheridan gallery

Sheridan College plans on using its star power to interest prospective students at the college-wide open house on Nov. 16.

The student helpers, also known as STARs (Student Admission Representatives) are part of the recruitment welcome office responsible for tours at the college.

“So we had an open cross campus meeting and got all our information set up and got faculty to arrange their stuff and then on the actual day we are going to be hiring some student helpers. I believe we refer to them as STARs,” said Anne Whitehead, communication and curriculum officer for the Faculty of Animation, Art and Design.

STAR students must be enrolled full time in a program.

“I think Sheridan’s kind of a segmented community since there’s so many different schools and faculties, so we try to get STARs that are actually students in these faculties, so that they can really respond to questions that are program specific. I think that’s important,” said Whitehead.

Being a STAR takes more than just being a student.

“Becoming a STAR is mainly a few things but they have to be outgoing, obviously enjoy the program that they’re in, because they’re essentially representing their program. And another essential step is that they do have to have a coordinator reference,” said Andreas Ponvia, an on-campus recruitment advisor.

The tours aim to educate parents and students about the majority of programs of study and it’s important to choose a guide that is engaged and informative. The STAR program can also help teach skills needed in the workforce.

“We have STARs coming in with a wide range of personalities. You have the quieter ones, the outgoing ones, and one of the great things I love is just seeing the development of these STARs as they go through,” said Ponvia, “because one of the main benefits of the role itself is the fact that you’ll be more experienced in public speaking. I actually was a STAR when I was still a student at Sheridan.

“I have a real passion for the STAR program because I can see how much it benefits students.”

The tour runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at all three campuses, promoted through social media and advertisements.

“We are really trying to reach out to the high school students who are preparing applications for college next year, so you’re going to hear about this one [open house] across campuses in Mississauga, Brampton and Oakville, on the radio,” said Whitehead.