KU School of Medicine-Wichita

School ocials say the ambassadors help put a face on an institution that people otherwise might know only by driving by it on I-135. "Anywhere they're needed as a representative of KU, and it's something they can do, we generally try to get there," said Karen Drake, assistant director of the Department of Academic & Student Aairs at KU School of Medicine-Wichita. "They're always out doing something." The student ambassador program started two decades ago. Students apply and must be approved by a majority vote of current members, but as Drake said, "The application is 'Why do you want to be an ambassador?' If somebody wants to do it, they're in." Ambassadors have performed blood pressure checks at the Kansas State Fair and given talks on the dangers of smoking. "If a high school science teacher wants someone to come and talk to their class, they're willing to do that," Drake said. When college students applying for medical school have their in-person faculty interviews, a pressure-packed day for many, ambassadors eat lunch with them. Ambassadors must commit to one volunteer opportunity per semester, although many do more. Each year, first-year medical students traditionally participate in various volunteer projects as part of the student ambassador program. In 2018, during their first week of school, first-year students helped build a house for Wichita Habitat for Humanity, organized medical supplies at the Medical Loan Closet in Wichita, sorted school supplies for the Salvation Army and packed hundreds of senior food boxes that were distributed by the Kansas Food Bank across the state. Fourth-year medical student Trista Vancuren said she first served as a student ambassador at Pittsburg State, where she got her undergraduate degree. "I enjoyed it and wanted to do that again in Wichita." Her favorite aspects of it are appearing on behalf of the school at college and career fairs, and interacting with area high school students. "A lot of high schoolers may have an interest in being a physician but don't know the path to get there." She explains to them that college students don't have to major in a certain subject to be accepted into medical school, as long as certain prerequisites are met; that they typically apply in their junior year; that medical school consists mainly of book work the first two years and clinical rotations after that; and that residency follows school. Another really cool thing we do during the summer is we conduct middle school physicals at one of the lower-income Wichita middle schools. We have a couple of supervisors. We see many, many students. That's fun. Trista Vancuren, fourth-year medical student

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