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Student Leaders

What is a Family Ambassador?

Family Ambassadors (FAs) are a community of student volunteers dedicated to supporting families throughout their Northwestern experience. This is an excellent leadership opportunity and a great way for students to find community on campus.

family ambassadorsFamily Ambassador Responsibilities Include:

  • Assisting with all aspects of Parent and Family Orientation which includes parent and family check in, hosting various sessions, participating in the “Year in the Life of a Northwestern Student” skits, giving campus tours and mingling with families and guiding them to various events around campus. 
  • Assisting with various aspects of Wildcat Welcome which includes new student move-in day, March through the Arch, and assisting with other initiatives that arise throughout the program. 
  • Assisting with all aspects of Family Weekend which takes place in October or November (date will be announced in March). This includes checking in family members, hosting sessions, directing family members to events, giving campus tours and mingling with family members throughout the weekend.
  • Periodically participating in the Wildcat Family Webinar Series during the summer and throughout the academic year.
  • Learning about campus resources related to the parent and family experience.
  • Offering a student perspective to parents and families.
  • Interacting with parents and family members on campus by answering their questions and helping to meet their needs.
  • Ensuring the overall success of family programming and events.
  • Family Ambassadors represent the diverse Northwestern community. We are looking for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors with varying levels of NU involvement, and a wide range of personalities and backgrounds.

Please make sure you read the Important Dates for FA Applicants to fully ensure you understand the requirements prior to applying.

Characteristics Found in Successful Family Ambassadors:
  • Flexibility
  • Organizational skills
  • Enthusiasm
  • Professionalism
  • Responsible & Accountable
  • Engaged
  • Empathetic
  • Positive Attitude
  • Hardworking
  • Relatability to others - and would relate well to parents and family members
  • Willingness to share about your family and their experience when you transitioned to Northwestern
  • Desire to speak about your Northwestern experience and share a student perspective
  • Desire to serve as a resource for nervous and overwhelmed families
  • Open-minded towards cultures, ethnicities, lifestyles, and backgrounds
  • A willingness to learn and grow

Application

The 2025 Family Ambassador Application will open on January 27 and will be due on February 23. In the meantime, please email family@northwestern.edu if you have any questions.

Information Sessions

All FA applicants are required to attend a 30-minute information session to learn more about the Family Ambassador (FA) position and the area of Family Engagement. All new students have a Peer Adviser, but most students are less familiar with the FA role because they work with parents and families. We want you to understand the position before you take the time to apply. Applicants can choose from in-person or virtual information sessions between January 30 – February 22.

Interviews

The Family Engagement Team will review applications and candidates who are selected to move on in the process will be invited for a 20-minute, in-person interview between March 1 – March 9. FA applicants will be notified of their status by March 14 and must commit to the position by 1 pm on March 20. 

 

FA Spring Training | April 7–June 2

To cultivate the FA community and prepare FAs for their role, in-person training will take place for about 1.5 hours every other week from April 7 to June 2, 2025. FAs are required to attend all training courses which will take place in the evenings during the week. Applicants will be asked to fill out a form regarding their spring schedule, which will help determine the date and time for spring training. The FA application and interview process is not complete until this form is submitted. 

FA spring training dates will be announced by Friday, March 21. If you have a conflict with any of the training dates throughout the quarter, you must notify the Family Engagement team at least one week in advance and you will be required to make up the training session. 

Fall FA Camp | September 4-8

Fall FA Camp (training) is tentatively scheduled to begin on Thursday, September 4 and end on Monday, September 8, 2025. FAs can move into the residence halls and residential colleges starting Wednesday, September 3 with FA Camp starting on Thursday, September 4. Each day, training will take place from about 9 am – 6 pm with some breaks so no other plans should be made during this time (i.e. you cannot take part in other events, activities, or work any jobs during this timeframe). 

If you are a member of a fraternity/sorority planning to live in the house for the fall 2025 or are planning to live off-campus, it is your responsibility to secure early move-in approval from your house or landlord as soon as possible.  If you are not able to move in early, it is your responsibility to find alternate early move-in housing. In the past, FAs have worked out arrangements with other friends or FAs if they needed a place to stay. Family Engagement will not be able to provide early housing for any FA not living in a residence hall or residential college. 

Parent & Family Orientation + Wildcat Welcome

  • Parent and Family Orientation will take place Tuesday, September 9 and Wednesday, September 10, 2025. 
  • Wildcat Welcome will take place Tuesday, September 9 - Monday, September 15.
  • Classes begin Tuesday, September 16.

FAs are expected to be on-campus and remain available during the above timeframe to fulfill all responsibilities associated with Parent and Family Orientation and Wildcat Welcome. 

Family Weekend 

Family Weekend 2025 will take place all day Friday to Sunday afternoon in October or early November. FAs will be expected to participate in a Family Weekend training session prior to the start of the program and should plan to be busy the entire weekend. If your family plans to attend Family Weekend, you will still be expected to fulfill your FA duties however, some schedule accommodations can be made. 

Position Description

Family Coordinators (FamCo) are hard-working and dedicated student leaders who have previously served at least one year as a Family Ambassador. These individuals:

  • serve as the student coordinators of the Family Ambassador program
  • work with the Senior Program Coordinator to design, implement, and facilitate training for Family Ambassadors
  • supervise and hold Family Ambassadors accountable for their responsibilities
  • help to coordinate and execute Parent and Family Orientation and Family Weekend
  • assist with webinars
  • provide general administrative support for Family Engagement when appropriate

 Family Coordinators are selected in December and serve in their position until the following January.

2024 Family Coordinators & Current FamCo Advisers

Pedro Martinez & Liz Alcala 

2024 Family Coordinators