UC Admissions relaunches the Cincinnati Ambassadors program

The peer leadership program for rising Cincinnati high school seniors is making a comeback this school year.

A new cohort of 22 high school seniors from across greater Cincinnati have signed up to help fellow students apply to college. As participants in this unique bridge program between local high schools and UC, Cincinnati Ambassadors serve by using training and personal experience to mentor and guide peer students before, during, and after the application process.

"UC has a strong tradition of collaborating with our area high schools, but with the Cincinnati Ambassadors program, the students get to be the driving force in the partnership," explains Cortney Matthews, associate director of admissions, and head of the program relaunch.

The 2025-2026 Cincinnati Ambassadors cohort. Photo/Cortney Matthews

Engaging "Bearcats for Life"

During its first run from 2017 to 2021, the program was limited to Uptown campus and students from CPS, but with the revamp, the program now includes all three UC campuses and accepts applications from schools across the greater Cincinnati area. The decision to expand the program's reach aligns with Central Admissions' new Bearcats for Life vision which centers "community and campus engagement" as one of its three pillars. "We're really leaning into this vision with a renewed focus on access by including high school seniors in communities outside the city of Cincinnati and by making sure our ambassadors are aware of the opportunities that exist at our regional campuses," Cortney says.

Throughout the school year, Cincinnati Ambassadors promote college access at community and high school events, encouraging other students to apply to college. They also serve as mentors for peers interested in applying to UC. In exchange, they receive not only leadership training, networking opportunities, and UC swag, they are hired as student employees and compensated for their time, including their participation in summer training and for facilitating programming at their high schools.

While applying to UC is not a requirement to join the program, students who serve as ambassadors receive additional mentorship from full-time admissions counselors on how to create a strong application; a gig Cortney hopes to pass on to program alumni, should they choose UC in the future: "It would be a win-win for current and future ambassadors and a great way for us to extend our partnership with the students participating in this program."

Training that fosters connection

The recent relaunch of the ambassador program has been met with much excitement from students, high school counselors, and admissions staff, but Cortney and her team are already looking for ways to further strengthen the program, including getting more campus partners involved. "I got to spend two weeks with this dynamic group of student leaders over the summer," she says, referring to the mandatory training new ambassadors complete as an introductory part of the program.

During this training, students participate in personal and professional development activities, such as DiSC assessments and team-building exercises, while also acquiring practical training from partners like UC Clermont's marketing team. "The training our students go through before they go back out into their schools is an important part of the program and a great way to make them feel more connected to the university, so we are interested in hearing from more of our wonderful campus partners who want to get involved in preparing the next cohort of ambassadors," says Cortney.

Campus partners, administrators, students, and others who are curious about the Cincinnati Ambassadors program can learn more at admissions.uc.edu/cps-ambassadors.

About the Cincinnati Ambassadors program

Featured image at top: Cincinnati Ambassadors during summer training. Photo/Cortney Matthews

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