Upended from friendships, routine, and familiar surroundings, the last thing a transfer student needs to worry over is where to eat lunch.

“I think, hands-down, the most intimidating part of going to a new school is walking into that cafeteria,” guidance counselor Laurie Stackhouse said.

For over 15 years, the Mustang Ambassadors program has improved the lives of transferred 10th-12th graders and freshmen that miss the Freshmen Stampede,.

Volunteers, referred to as Mustang Ambassadors, escort new students from class to class their first couple days at MN, acting as a friendly face, connection, and a guaranteed ‘lunch-mate.’ The program is often confused with Mustang Mentoring, which is upperclassmen running Mustang Times. Between , which is entirely different.

Pairs are based on lunch, grade, counselor, and gender, with some exceptions due to a disproportionate number of  students to ambassadors. In spite of time crunches, number of volunteers, and minimal recognition, the program’s leaders and volunteers have succeeded in making hundreds of students feel welcome.

“I was nervous.I think the Ambassador program is a really good idea. It helped for the first couple of days. I hadn’t really heard much about the school at all. I really had no clue what I was walking into,” senior transfer student Danielle Ommen said. Ommen transferred from Westside and was paired with senior Mustang Ambassador KC Casillas, who had also been a transfer student, moving from California in middle school.

“I was new too. I’ve always been the new kid. I joined to help people, I always thought I wanted to,” Casillas said.

Some relationships cultivated through the program end after the first days of school, 

but some can last. At the end of last year, Stackhouse received an email from the parents of a sophomore discussing the impact of his ambassador, from sitting together at lunch to attending football games.

Around 75-80 students have already transferred to MN this year, and the number will increase as the year advances. This year MN has 40 Mustang Ambassadors, and the guidance counselors are “more than happy” to receive new additions. It is a diverse group, made up of 10th-12th graders  with varying academic standings and interests.

“They can be anybody. You don’t have to be the football star. You don’t have to be in band. You don’t have to be valedictorian, ” community counselor and recruitment head for Mustang Ambassadors Peggy Beard said.

The point of the program is not only to ease students into life here at MN, but also to create a feeling of acceptance.

“My goal is for students to feel welcome at MN.I think transferring high schools is a really hard thing. I want students to feel as comfortable as they can and not be intimidated.The physical space is large. We have 2,500 students–it would be easy to feel like you’re being swallowed up in a new place like this, and I don’t ever want kids to feel like that,” Stackhouse said.

For more information, or to sign up to be an Ambassador,  meet with Mrs.Stackhouse in the counseling center, or contact [email protected].