No matter rain or shine, humid or frigid weather and genuinely, no matter what, you’ll see them walking around campus — forward or backward.

Although they’re mostly known for their infamous campus tours — the ones where current University students question why anyone would want to attend the University, even though they attend it — Illinois Student Admissions Representatives manage to be much more than tour guides.

I STARs are responsible for directing families around campus, handling front desk operations like answering phones and serving on student panels, among other tasks. According to the University’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions website, I STARs allocate their help to 40,000-plus campus visitors annually.

“We give a really good introduction to the University,” said Brianna Mae Huner, senior staff member and junior in LAS. “Especially with these tours, we try our best to give as much information as we can while still keeping it within a normal time frame.”

The University’s campus is 9.9 square miles with 651 buildings. Huner said she jokingly pitched the idea of a bus tour, and although she also offered to drive the bus, they’ll be sticking to the walking tour routes.

Despite the condensed campus version, knowing what to point out about what building is a strenuous task and one that requires new hires to review a 15-page document for their 90-minute tours.

From there, their training consists of shadow tours, meaning they’ll attend campus tours given by their coworkers. After seeing a tour live in action, they’ll become involved in that action themselves with the grad tour, where they lead a senior staff member throughout campus. If they pass, they become a tour guide.

Adam Lupatkin, senior staff member and junior in FAA, used flashcards and friends to help prepare him for the challenge.

“A few days a week, I’d grab a few different friends, take them on a tour, tell them to interrupt me, ask stupid questions,” Lupatkin said. “It was more just practice; you have to memorize an hour-and-a-half worth of material … Thankfully, the buildings are there. They have signs on them, the name.”

The process is worth it, according to Natalia Morales, freshman in LAS. At first, it was a daunting prospect, but creating a personal connection with strangers was what she wanted to do.

Morales walked the tour before she decided to attend the University, and in doing so, her indecisiveness about enrolling here had vanished. What appeared in its place was the desire to become an I STAR.

“I was able to break out of my shell a little bit more and take more initiative,” Morales said. “Public speaking, in general, was something I used to dread in high school, and through this experience, I was able to grow more comfortably in that.”

I STARs have woven connections with one another throughout their time on the job. Huner said that part of the job is being social, as I STARs are more than people wanting to get to know their respective tour group. They’re people wanting to get to know each other.

She has talked to nearly all of her coworkers and knows each of their names, fostering a sense of camaraderie and inclusivity.

“It’ll be during tour time, so I’ll see other tour guides, and I know who all of them are,” Huner said. “That’s a big thing I’ve learned that I didn’t really expect — I was looking for a job but ended up finding a whole community here.”

Talking about the University and informing prospective students about the endless information on campus is just one part of their job. For I STARs, extending their community is how they shine a brighter light on what makes the University home.

“Especially high school students, they’re in an interesting moment in their lives,” Morales said. “College is scary and intimidating, and I just would love to help with anything I can to navigate that.”

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