It’s been 10 years since my first travel season and I’m a bit sentimental about my time on the road for my Alma Mater Elon University. In those 10 years — much of it now with TargetX — I have stayed over 1000 nights in a hotel, flown nearly 750,000 miles, and driven enough miles that I could be on Mars with Curiosity.

Over the course of my travels, I have picked up lots of advice. ”Don’t stress when things on the road go wrong… It isn’t about the amount of college fair cards, it’s about the quality… Never leave your college fair table early.” The list goes on and on…

There is one piece of advice that I received before my first admissions travel season that’s stuck with me to this day:

You are Elon.

Ok, I know what you are thinking. “I don’t work at Elon… how is that good advice?” Don’t take me so literally. Substitute Elon with the name of your institution. Now here’s the backstory:

When I graduated Elon and started working in the Admissions office, one of the “traditions” was having a chat with Barry Bradberry. Barry is a 1975 graduate of Elon. His official title is Associate Dean of Admissions and Financial Planning. Unofficially, Barry’s title is “Mr. Elon.” And that he is. After spending 30+ years in Admissions, Barry sits down with every new staff member in the office and has the “You are Elon” conversation.

In his fatherly manner, Barry made me feel like his best bud and imparted this wisdom on me: You are always representing Elon anywhere you go. You’re representing something bigger than yourself. You might be in the elevator at the hotel and someone sees your luggage tag; you might be driving down the road and someone sees your car; you might be out at dinner (or the bar) after a college fair with your buddies and a parent might be across the room that recognizes you from the fair earlier in the night.

I still think about this idea today. Sure I no longer “work” for Elon, but I am still representing my Alma Mater, TargetX and all of my clients.

In today’s world of posting photos on Facebook and Twitter, sending stories from the road to the “Admissions Problem” Tumblr account, etc. — it is important to remember the best piece of advice I have ever gotten:

You are Elon.

It is important for all of us to remember, no matter if you are embarking on your first travel season or are a veteran on the road, we are bigger than ourselves. We are representing our institutions. We are always admissions folks — even once our travel-case is put away. We are always “on.”

Good luck to all the road warriors out there this season. Go forth and do great work. After all, “You are Elon” (or whatever your institution is).

What is your advice to all the staff hitting the road this fall?

What is your advice to all the staff hitting the road this fall? Share with us on Facebook or right here on the blog.

Read more about our authors.  Trent serves as the cXo, Chief eXperience Officer at TargetX. He understands the importance of the campus aesthetic and its effect on visiting families and current students. He is passionate about involving the entire campus in the admissions process; he believes that the job description of each member of the campus community should include recruiting students.

Trent is a graduate of Elon University and a member of TargetX’s Experience Team in Atlanta.