Ever wondered who those enthusiastic people in bright orange polo shirts giving tours around campus are? Those are members of The President’s 100 (P100) also known as “Ps.”
P100 members serve as ambassadors for the university at recruitment events and campus tours as they educate potential students on student life at the university.
Senior, Kurt Denton serves as the Chairperson for P100. As Chairperson, Denton manages the day-to-day operations of P100 and works to implement a long-term strategy in addition to giving the weekly campus tours required by all members.
“I applied to P100 my freshman year here at UM, back in Fall 2018. I had wanted to be a tour guide in college since I was a high school student visiting universities,” Denton said.
“I found the idea of being a tour guide enticing and I occasionally found myself mentally critiquing the guides whenever I was on a tour,” Denton continued.
P100 members serve an essential role for the university as for most prospective students they are their first impression of what it means to be a ‘Cane.
“My tour guide was really nice, I left very impressed by the lake and all the places he took us to, he came off as very professional,” freshman Luke Norris said.
Whether it be cracking jokes, sharing a favorite experience or simply being as attentive as possible across their campus tour, Ps are enthusiastic members of the UM community who do their best to represent the “U.”
“I really enjoy and take a lot of pride in the importance of the job that I do as a student ambassador. Although it is only an hour and a half of my time, each tour can have an enormous impact on the lives of the prospective students visiting us,” Denton said.
For many prospective students, a campus can make or break their final decision.
“My first impressions were everything I thought it would be, it was amazing, I knew that the campus would be my home for the next few years,” said freshman Alex Caiola.
Everything blended together perfectly, being in Miami, having family close by, the D1 athletics and seeing it in person was just the cherry on top,” Caiola said.
Of course, serving as an ambassador for an entire university is no easy task but P100 serves as an opportunity for members to develop life and career skills.
“Although I was always a strong public speaker, being a student ambassador has made me tremendously confident in my ability to address strangers, even in a large crowd. I think I could stand up and give a presentation to a full house at MetLife Stadium without breaking a sweat,” Denton said.
“As chairman, I also now lead our general body meetings and in some sense, addressing 100 or so of your peers is even more fear-inducing for some than speaking to strangers,” Denton continued.
P100 continues to be one of the essential bridges between UM and the rest of the world.
Whether they’re giving a commuter or international student traveling from another country to get a look at the U a tour, “Ps” are undoubtedly one of the reasons the university continues to hold such a strong reputation with their ability to foster connections and shed light on the UM experience.
“Every “P” has his or her own unique talents and abilities, but we are all united by our common enthusiasm for showing what an amazing institution the University of Miami is,” Denton said.