After a bustling open house and various other tours happening around the school, many students are left unaware of what goes on behind the scenes. What is the process behind being and choosing tour guides?

Last year, senior Sam Murphy received an email from the SPA admissions office informing him that he was selected as a tour guide. Murphy was unsure why they specifically chose him.”

Maybe they pick people that they think would be okay,” Murphy said.

He jumped at the opportunity to be a beacon of guidance to students who have shown interest in visiting the campus.

Director of Admissions and Financial Aid Heather Ploen said “We have certain blocks within our day that are open for tours … we look at juniors’ and seniors’ schedules and we see who’s available.”

Ploen said, “We also have students who come in and say, ‘Hey, I’d like to do this,’” emphasizing how a big part of the picking process revolves around enthusiasm for SPA.

Beyond the personality aspects, the admissions office also looks for tour guides who match the subject interests of prospective students.

Junior Julia Taylor, who is also a tour guide, found the training process simple.

“I just talked with the admissions people and it was pretty easy,” she said.

This was corroborated by Murphy during his description of the training process: it’s just a quick info session or discussion.

Taylor said that the most important ability of tour guides is “being able to talk with people and being able to meet them where they’re at.”

While touring requires a wide variety of skills, the hardest to master is the route taken.

Conversational skills and being friendly are also key qualities to have.

“You gotta have a flow … you can’t just go back and forth,” Murphy said.

Murphy concluded by mentioning how “it’s fun to get to know people and tell them about SPA because I like SPA,” showing how tour guiding brings a sense of community to SPA from the first time people see it.

Overall, the admissions office looks for people who they think can keep up a good conversation, share interests with prospective students, and accurately capture the experience at SPA.