UF’s College of the Arts recently introduced a new Encore Ambassador Program. The program offers paid performance opportunities for College of the Arts students to represent the college at various events presented by the UF Office of Development and Alumni Affairs throughout the year.
Encore Ambassadors are recommended by professors in their respective schools and then selected by the director of the School of Music or the School of Theatre + Dance. These students are chosen based on their public speaking ability, engaging personality and ability to tell a story, excellence in the performing arts and overall love for UF. Not only does this program showcase the talent of these artists, but it also provides them with leadership opportunities, as they are asked to share their stories about how the university has impacted them.
The first Encore Ambassadors took the stage at the fall 2015 UF Foundation Board of Directors meeting held in September. Carlos Arancibia, a graduate piano student, played the piano as guests enjoyed their breakfast, and Lauren Robinson, a musical theatre sophomore, opened the first meeting with a performance of Reach by Gloria Estefan.
Dual voice and mechanical engineering student Tim Williams sang You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly named Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering.
“It was really cool to share about two things that mean so much to me in that pivotal moment,” Williams says. “As a double major (in voice and mechanical engineering), I get excited when music is featured in an event even though it is focused on engineering.”
The Encore Ambassador program is only one of the increasing opportunities for UF students to showcase their talents and expertise. Here at the Gator Nation, we are academics as well as artists.
