Like others, Jamison Halliday found the transition to college difficult. She felt isolated and lonely her first few weeks on campus.
But one call with her mom started a chain of events that led the education major from Findlay to her passion.
CELEBRATING SUCCESS: UToledo recognizes the Class of 2023 with a series of stories featuring students receiving their degrees at spring commencement.
“She said to me, ‘I wouldn’t have sent you there if I knew you couldn’t do it,’ ” Halliday said. “And that was when I realized, alright, I can get involved, I can do all these things.”
Halliday decided to join a sorority and immediately felt more at ease.
“I met all these amazing people on campus,” she said. “And then I began meeting even more people beyond my chapter and eventually came to realize, this is definitely home.”
Graduating Saturday, May 6, Halliday is finishing her final terms in the many organizations in which she is involved.
She served as vice president on Mortar Board National College Senior Honor Society and is the vice president of recruitment for the Panhellenic Council; she is a member of Order of Omega and is a student in the KLAR Leadership Academy through the John B. and Lillian E. Neff College of Business and Innovation; and she has held various positions in her sorority.
“I think these experiences brought me out of my shell and kind of made me who I am today,” Halliday said. “I’m not afraid to talk in front of crowds, I’m not afraid to reach out to people who have far more power than me. I am doing things I never could do before.”
Her newfound confidence led Halliday to consider a part-time job as an UToledo admission ambassador on Main Campus in August 2020. Without knowing if she was a good fit for the job, she applied for the admission ambassador position and was offered the job.
She would take two groups daily for tours around campus — that’s when she remembered why she chose UToledo.
“The opportunities I have had, the different programs that are here that are nationally recognized,” Halliday said. “It made me realize I just have a passion for promoting the University.”
Halliday
In less than a year, Halliday was asked to become the outreach coordinator for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, where she handled overseeing all 30 ambassadors on campus.
Halliday then created an Instagram account for UToledo Admission Ambassadors. The social media specialist at the office loved her work, which led to Halliday’s slow transition to the marketing side of admissions, where she now runs and creates content for all University of Toledo Admission social media.
Halliday said she couldn’t be happier with the way things turned out.
“It’s been a really rewarding position, honestly,” she said. “Seeing my content interact with potential students is just awesome. And learning more about the enrollment management process has helped me understand why universities advertise the way they do; it was so insightful.”
Upon graduating, Halliday will begin her next educational venture as a graduate student, working towards her master in business administration and marketing management degree.
Her plan is to break into the marketing workforce, but she plans to use her education degree, too.
“I love teaching, and I love being in school, I just don’t know if that’s particularly for me anymore,” Halliday said. “I would love to work in the community; I’d love to work for a school district to promote different things, like what I’m doing with the University now.”
Halliday recognizes how different her trajectory would have been if she hadn’t gotten involved.
“I would not have anything that I have today without building relationships with other people, without taking chances,” Halliday said. “I have learned not to take for granted any moment I have here because, at this point, there are far fewer things I would rather do than spend a day at the University.”
