The new generation of Red Devil Ambassadors (RDAs) has been chosen! Throughout November, a record number of nominees, more than seventy people, received notification that they were invited to an interest meeting introducing the Red Devil Ambassador program. A few weeks later group interviews were held to determine the select eight ambassadors.
But what is the Red Devil Ambassador program? How are they chosen? What do they do? Sam Mukherjee, a current Junior and RDA ambassador, breaks it all down.
What is the RDA program? Sam explains, “The program is primarily dedicated to helping new students find their fit in the school. Ambassadors meet with new students in their respective house offices, and we get to know them, be their first friends, and the first person that they get to know from the school. We also show them to their classes for the first few days they’re here.”
Sam also details that the RDA program receives mainly students from other states and Spanish-speaking countries, in addition to a select few from Europe. The program helps integrate students into life at Hunterdon Central, a crucial process, since the school has one of the highest numbers of students in the state. This can easily make it more than a bit daunting for new students to acclimate and find groups to join or events and activities to participate in.
Introducing new students to the school isn’t the only thing RDAs do. They also help out with the freshman technology tools class. “We help teach time management and work on stress management,” Sam explains. Sam also tells us that the RDAs visit the sending district middle schools like Readington Middle School, J.P. Case, East Amwell, and Delaware Township to give presentations on what to expect at Hunterdon Central: the ins and outs, and what they can do to take advantage of the opportunities in high school.
Now, to begin, how does one get selected to be a Red Devil Ambassador? “Well first, you have to get nominated, whether that be from a counselor, teacher, an RDA, or if you self-nominated. Then you attend the interest meeting, and you’re later sent an email with the date of your interview,” said Sam.
Does being self-nominated affect your chances of getting selected? “No, not really, since the whole process is looking for a group of people that we believe will be able to work together and have the characteristics of an RDA. In the interviews, we ask a mix of light-hearted and deep questions to really understand on a deeper level of who you are and what you represent.”
What are some of those characteristics that fit the program? “While I can’t give you any specifics, I can tell you that RDAs are chosen based on what we believe are some traits that an RDA should have before they go through training and it’s based on some of the values and standards that the RDA holds themselves to.”
What exactly is this training that RDAs go through? “For each generation of RDAs, the juniors are given ‘littles’, which are the titles that the new sophomores are given, while the juniors themselves are referred to as ‘bigs’. For the first year, the ‘littles’ are given guidance and start meeting new students along with their ‘bigs’ as they learn how to be an RDA. By the beginning of their junior year, the ‘littles’ are able to handle new students by themselves, but they can always ask for help from their ‘bigs’ if they need it. It’s like a big family tree.”
How are ‘bigs’ and ‘littles’ decided? “I know for last year that Mrs. Kelly (the official advisor for the RDAs) laid out all the incoming RDAs student IDs flipped upside down and had each junior RDA pick one and that was who their little was going to be.”
The Red Devil Ambassador program is highly selective, only accepting less than 2% of an entire class of students to represent Hunterdon Central and help integrate new students into life at the school. They are some of the brightest and best students to communicate with and represent a wide range of clubs, sports, and activities at Hunterdon Central. Many Red Devil Ambassadors also speak another language fluently to help communicate with new students who may not be fluent in English. The RDAs are the representatives of Hunterdon Central, and we are honored to welcome the new generation of Red Devil Ambassadors!
