Alumni postcard inspires student to enroll at OHIO, recruit future Bobcats

Emily Weidig, BS ’20, and her father, Ohio University alumnus Mark Weidig, BBA ’89, are all smiles in this 2016 photo after Emily received her acceptance letter from the University. A postcard she received from an OHIO graduate through the Postcard Project inspired Emily to follow in her father’s Bobcat footsteps. Photo courtesy of Emily Weidig

Even though she had been accepted to Ohio University and her father, Mark Weidig, BBA ’89, is a Bobcat, Emily Weidig, BS ’20, remained indecisive about where to continue her education beyond high school. Then, a postcard arrived in the mail.

“At first it was just sitting on my counter, and I thought of it as just another postcard from another university,” Weidig said. “Then I remember opening it and feeling that alumni don’t just graduate from Ohio University, move on and never look back. They truly care and want to recruit more Bobcats.”

That personalized note Weidig received four years ago was from an Ohio University graduate who stepped up to support their alma mater by connecting with prospective Bobcats through the Postcard Project.

Part of the Volunteer Alumni Admissions Network (VAAN), the Postcard Project enlists Ohio University graduates in the University’s admissions process, asking volunteers to send a postcard (postcards and postage provided) to 10 high school students who have been admitted to OHIO but may not have confirmed their intent to enroll. Registration for the Postcard Project is running now through the end of the April and is open to all degree-holding OHIO graduates.

The postcard Weidig received went far beyond helping her make the decision to become a Bobcat. Once she arrived on campus, Weidig found herself wanting to help shape OHIO’s future in the same way the Postcard Project shaped hers.

Emily Weidig, BS ’20, has spent the past four years working in Undergraduate Admissions’ campus tour guide program, helping to recruit future Bobcats. Photo courtesy of Emily Weidig

“I didn’t think I wanted to start working right away in college, but this campus and the school really changed who I am,” Weidig said. “In high school, I was really a passive learner and passive student, and OU has changed me for the better. I was like, ‘Why not share that with others and let them see this place can do the same for them?’”

Her first year on campus Weidig applied and was hired as a campus tour guide for Undergraduate Admissions, which administers VAAN and the Postcard Project. OHIO tour guides are undergraduates who show prospective students and their loved ones around the Athens Campus, answer their questions and share their OHIO experiences with them. They conduct campus tours year-round, Mondays through Saturdays.

Weidig cherishes this opportunity to connect with students facing the same big decisions she faced just a few years ago.

“A goal I have in every single one of my tours is to get to know every student – whether it’s where they’re from or what they want to study or if their parent is an alumnus,” Weidig said. “So, if someone mentions they really enjoy hiking, I’ll point out the path by the Hocking River, just so they know I’m really listening. I want them to know they’re important here.”

After being a tour guide for two years, Weidig was selected to serve as tour guide manager. A self-described “bridge” between Undergraduate Admissions and the tour guides, Weidig helps select and train incoming guides, cultivating future OHIO ambassadors.

“I’m sure every tour guide would agree with me that it’s so rewarding when you give a tour and a student or parent comes up to you and says, ‘You made me want to come here,’ or, ‘You made me realize I’m not just a number,’” said Weidig who described her work with Undergraduate Admissions as a treasured part of her OHIO experience. “Things like that still give me chills. It makes me feel like I’m making a difference in other people’s lives, especially something like a college decision because that can be especially daunting and scary.”

In May, Weidig will graduate from Ohio University with a degree in communication sciences and disorders and plans to stay connected to her alma mater, including through the Postcard Project where she will continue her work inspiring and encouraging the next generation of Bobcats.

Registration for spring semester’s Postcard Project is open through the end of April. For more information, click here.