MarthaEngel

Nearly every day the table in the lobby has a few blue bags with name tags labeling them. The screen in the entryway has the names of girls coming to be students for a day, and get a taste of what Marian feels like. The recruitment team organizes these visit days, but they also run a number of other events and face challenges that require creative problem solving. 

Mrs. Katy Krebs Core ‘02, Director of Recruitment, said that the majority of her work is “working with prospective families and students [and] just trying to spread information and answer any questions families have,” she said. Reaching out to students and families can be done in many different ways, but one of the best ways is the grade-school visits. 

At these visits, Core is “really trying to let the Marian girls drive the presentations,” by letting the students talk to the seventh and eighth graders, she said. Having students with a variety of interests and perspectives is valuable for connecting with students across the Omaha area. Although the Q&A feels very informal, “there’s really good information from the student perspective,” Core said, and girls are able to shine when speaking authentically about their experiences at Marian. 

Senior Hannah Butler has been to Holy Cross and St. Bernard’s over the past few years. On these visits, “I really enjoyed talking with the younger girls and spreading what Marian is really about,” she said. 

But what if Marian doesn’t go to all of the schools? While Marian visits all 26 archdiocesan schools, the Ambassadors are unable to visit public schools. That’s one of the biggest challenges the recruitment team faces. In many ways, recruitment is “reputation” or “word of mouth,” Core said. It’s tough to reach out to students without knowing who’s interested in Marian, and “we’re just trying to take any bits and pieces of information that we get,” Core said. 

Another challenge for the Ambassadors is Marian’s location in Omaha. For Core, “it’s challenging to come up with solutions for families to things that can’t be changed,” she said. For many, “Marian is just way too far. I can’t move Marian for them, but I know they could thrive here,” she said. By “letting people see other strengths that would make the challenges worth it,” the recruitment team is able to overcome some of these obstacles. 

For current students, being a part of the Ambassadors program is a way to be involved in the processes that got them to Marian, too. “Just being a positive person with a good outlook will make you a wonderful ambassador,” Butler said. By being able to give an authentic peek into a day at Marian, the Ambassadors are able to recruit on their own.

Core, in her first year, “was just really impressed with the confidence and empowerment [that] really came to life when girls were approaching me as a new person in the building,” she said. The overall attitude of the Marian Ambassadors has built excitement and new plans for the future. 

On Friday, Oct. 20, Marian hosted the Mini Surprise Night for 7th and 8th Graders. This event was attended by 230 grade school girls, and included a bounce house, cotton candy machine, games of all kinds, and a dance party. The 60 Ambassadors who helped organize and run the event “make the activities fun and bring the energy to events,” Core said. This fun-filled night helped prospective students get into the Marian spirit, and get some Marian swag. 

The recruitment team offers events like these throughout the school year, from Open House on Nov. 19 to the Placement Test on Jan. 13. The overall goal is a freshman class of 175 students, and “it’s a big reach,” Core said. 

But while it may be a big reach, the Ambassadors are prepared. 

In a Network Google survey of the student body, at least 70 % of students participated in official Marian recruitment events before their freshman year. Of those students, nearly 90 % thought that these events helped them feel more excited for high school and connected to the Marian community.