Welcome to Bluffton
07/26/2023
Leading campus tours allows Emily Buss to share the Bluffton 'vibe.'
Bluffton feels like home
When Emily Buss ’25 visited Bluffton University in high school, the campus community fit all her requirements—it was close to family, offered her major and provided a friendly environment.
“I was excited to be a Beaver,” said Buss, a communication and media and marketing double major from Kalida, Ohio. “It felt like home.”
On campus, Buss’s expectations for her college career have become reality, and now she’s the one showing off campus as a Lead President’s Ambassador.
“Not only is everyone here so friendly, but the professors are so helpful. They really encourage you. No one wants to see you fail,” explained Buss. “It’s nice to be part of a community with that kind of vibe.”
She most enjoys walking visitors through Yoder Recital Hall because of its beauty, but the role also allows her to “give back” to Bluffton.
“I absolutely love giving tours and working on campus,” said Buss. “I want to make
an impact, and I feel like having campus jobs has allowed me to do that.”
In addition to leading tours this summer, Buss is working as a student assistant in
Bluffton’s public relations office where her favorite assignment is designing athletics
graphics.
She’s getting hands-on experience with Adobe software and is utilizing skills she learned in classes taught by professors such as Marathana Prothro. An assistant professor of communication, Prothro is Buss’s academic advisor and was also her Becoming a Scholar professor.
“She has made a real impact on me. She’s a great role model and helped me set up my path,” said Buss. “When I first started college, I felt a little lost, but she helped me figure out who I am and what I want to do.”
Following graduation, Buss sees herself following in her father’s footsteps with a career in health care marketing. Until then, she’s taking on another campus job as a resident advisor this fall, and she already has advice to impart on first-year students.
“Be yourself but be open,” said Buss. “You are going to feel a little lost or out of place at first, but don’t be afraid to try new things or meet new people. You never know what you’re going to find.”
Outside of class and work, Buss can be found helping with intramurals and serving as the co-captain for the basketball cheer team.