You see presentations on Fridays during activity period about everything from diversity to cyberbullying.

There is an organization that is mastermind behind these.

“They’re an elite group of leaders on campus that really put the best foot forward for the student body,” Student Ambassador sponsor Shannon Phillips said.

The Student Ambassadors’ goal is to make Independence a welcoming place for everyone.

“It’s really just about making the school all feel like home to every person,” junior Brett Cumnock said.

Their character builds as they help others.

“I think they grow because they challenge one another within our group. So, you get to voice your opinion on what your perspective is…I would say that it does challenge them to be better, to stand up for a particular population,” Phillips said.

The Student Ambassadors learn from their experiences while standing up for others.

“I’ve learned that everyone matters in the school, or like in an organization, and then if everyone is happy, everyone feels included. Everything flows easier and better,” junior Arturo Lopez said.

You may think that being a Student Ambassador might affect their friendships, with the high expectation of always having to be nice. But they don’t think so.

“I think it doesn’t, but as a person, I think that if you surround yourself with great people you’re going to get farther. So, I mean show me your friends, I’ll show you your future,”  Lopez said.

Not only do they surround themselves with good people, they are proud of what they do.

“…A lot of people kinda make jokes, but at the end of the day I like what I’m doing. I feel like I’m making an impact on some of the students here that don’t really get noticed a lot,” Cumnock said.