The Perks of Being a Cyclone Aide – Iowa State Daily

Each summer, the Cyclone Aides help engage first-year students and introduce them to Iowa State.

Jordan Edejer, a senior in environmental science, said he became a Cyclone Aide because he was a Destination Iowa State (DIS) team leader and received a recommendation from his residential assistant. According to Edejer, Cyclone Aides handle two primary tasks, including orientation and DIS.

“There were some smaller ones that we would participate in, like last semester here on campus to advertise for the position at Iowa State,” Edejer said. “And in the spring, we also helped develop team leadership at destination Iowa State.”

Izzy Emmert, a second-year criminal justice student, said 4,000 students attended the orientation, and more than 6,000 if family members were included.

“Our job was really to get the students to come to Iowa State, help them choose their classes, show them around and invite them to join clubs and participate in the different activities,” Emmert said.

Emmert said the interview process consists of two rounds, one online and one in person. The assistants then take a course in the spring semester.

“In the end, we just learned everything about Iowa State and how we can convey that to these students over the course of the summer,” Emmert said.

Brittany Huston, a sophomore studying journalism and mass communications, said the volunteers are divided into committees and then smaller subcommittees where they can plan events.

“Mine was a clone quest, so I was in charge [of] the scavenger hunt and things the students had to do,” Huston said.

Additionally, Huston said she held many leadership positions in high school, so she wanted to get involved in something similar.

“I like how many new people I’ve met through this,” Huston said. “There are about 50 built-in friends.”

Huston said Cyclone Aides receive a wage of $14 an hour, free housing in the summer and a meal plan of $900. She also mentioned that she was shy before the role and can now talk to people much more easily.

“The networking is really helpful,” Huston said. “I mean, you work with a lot of different people from different backgrounds, so it kind of helped me find careers that I might find interesting, for example I got an ambassador job at my journalism school because I…” Zyklon- Helper. So it’s just a lot of leadership skills and communication that comes with it.”

Edejer said the main thing he enjoys about being a Cyclone Aid is the sense of community.

“For a whole year, 30 to 40 of us interacted with each other constantly,” Edejer said. “We interacted constantly. We always just spent time together.”

Edejer said you can only be a Cyclone Aide for a year, but you can be a consultant.

Emmert said she really enjoyed her summer stay in Ames as an international student.

“Honestly, it was really nice to just stay in Ames and see the two different perspectives of calm and busyness during the school year,” Emmert said.

Both Emmert and Edejer said they gained leadership skills through this role, and Huston said she gained communication skills.

Edejer said before this position he had little confidence in his understanding of Iowa State and now he has gained confidence in it. He also mentions the leadership qualities he acquired in this position.

“Those leadership skills of holding a room or leading a small group of people and motivating them is an amazing skill in the workforce that you can only really master if you have experience,” Edejer said.

Emmert acknowledged that the job was fun and didn’t feel like work.

“It didn’t feel like a job, it just felt like fun,” Emmert said.