BlogsStudent LifeAdmissionUpper School
What Being a Tiger Expert Means to Me
May 2, 2013 2:35 PM
By Abraham Johnson '15 - '15
When I was selected to be an Admission Tiger Expert at the beginning of my freshman year, the first question I asked was, "Umm, yeah okay. What is that?" Presumably, you are asking yourself that very same question. What I eventually found out was that being a part of this group of tour guides, journalists for the Darlington website and representatives of our school has given me such a unique perspective of Darlington.
Sure, I started out my very first orientation weekend accidentally abandoning a brand new student from Thailand who spoke minimal English (and I still feel really bad about it, Tate!), but I have come so far since then and have become at least a little better at giving tours.
The thing about this job is that it has contributed to the person that I am today and has given me leadership abilities that I would not have gained otherwise. It completes my vision of Darlington as a whole, therefore helping me contribute to our community in what I feel to be a more educated way than the average student. It's like if a day student never goes into the dorms, he or she will miss out on a huge part of Darlington and lose tons of valuable experiences. The same goes for not getting involved in the Admission Office.
For the first part of last year, back when the Admission Office was still a vague and altogether unexplored terrain in my eyes, I was missing out on a huge part of Darlington. Now, I get to see the whole process of how a student ends up here. First they show interest in Darlington, then they hopefully apply, and then eventually me and the other Tiger Experts have the opportunity to show them around campus and answer their questions. This has opened my eyes to a vital and impressive part of the Darlington experience that a lot of people don't get to see.
I have now seen Darlington from every angle (unless there's some underground tunnel system that I have yet to explore... note-to-self: add to to-do list), from the dorms to the day life to the admission process. This has easily been the most beneficial part of the Tiger Expert experience.
Sure, I started out my very first orientation weekend accidentally abandoning a brand new student from Thailand who spoke minimal English (and I still feel really bad about it, Tate!), but I have come so far since then and have become at least a little better at giving tours.
The thing about this job is that it has contributed to the person that I am today and has given me leadership abilities that I would not have gained otherwise. It completes my vision of Darlington as a whole, therefore helping me contribute to our community in what I feel to be a more educated way than the average student. It's like if a day student never goes into the dorms, he or she will miss out on a huge part of Darlington and lose tons of valuable experiences. The same goes for not getting involved in the Admission Office.
For the first part of last year, back when the Admission Office was still a vague and altogether unexplored terrain in my eyes, I was missing out on a huge part of Darlington. Now, I get to see the whole process of how a student ends up here. First they show interest in Darlington, then they hopefully apply, and then eventually me and the other Tiger Experts have the opportunity to show them around campus and answer their questions. This has opened my eyes to a vital and impressive part of the Darlington experience that a lot of people don't get to see.
I have now seen Darlington from every angle (unless there's some underground tunnel system that I have yet to explore... note-to-self: add to to-do list), from the dorms to the day life to the admission process. This has easily been the most beneficial part of the Tiger Expert experience.
