More than two dozen UCF students have started part-time, paid positions on campus, taking on a newly-created role as 麻豆精品 S淎rmor Up 麻豆精品 S ambassadors, a job that 麻豆精品 S檚 part counselor and part educator.

Positioning themselves at typical high-traffic locations like the John C. Hitt Library, Student Union and Recreation and Wellness Center, their charge is to encourage compliance with UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 COVID-19 safety measures.

麻豆精品 S淭his is a way to help students, faculty, staff and visitors know what 麻豆精品 S檚 expected when coming on to campus, 麻豆精品 S says Maureen Hawkins, director of Wellness & Health Promotion Services and the program 麻豆精品 S檚 coordinator. 麻豆精品 S淲e 麻豆精品 S檝e looked at every possible way to engage the community 麻豆精品 S and one-on-one interactions are an important part of connecting. 麻豆精品 S

The student ambassadors remind others about wearing face coverings, adhering to physical distancing and completing the daily COVID self-symptom checker on UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 app and website. They carry backpacks full of masks, hand sanitizer and door pulls, and give out T-shirts, sunglasses, snacks and other goodies to students who are adhering to safety guidelines.

Many of the students who applied for the positions said they wanted to find a way to help the campus stay healthy, says Hawkins.

Aishwarya Joshi, a graduate student studying health services administration, was one of the first ambassadors hired and trained. 麻豆精品 S淚 have a healthcare background and during this COVID time I felt so useless not doing anything, 麻豆精品 S says Joshi. 麻豆精品 S淲hen I saw this, I was pretty excited, I was hoping I [could] get into it and I 麻豆精品 S檓 so glad [I did]. 麻豆精品 S

The students work in small teams and cover shifts that run Monday through Friday of each week.

Additional students will be hired in the coming weeks, bringing the total number of ambassadors to 60 and providing a daily presence on the main, downtown and Rosen campuses. The program will be in place through the end of the fall semester.

麻豆精品 S淪tudents are grateful to see the ambassadors out and about and they appreciate the additional self-care items, 麻豆精品 S Hawkins says.

The program is funded through UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 institutional portion of the CARES Act.