An afternoon walk with tour guide Andy Ciccolella

"We're going to have fun today!" said Andy, the perfect tour guide. I call him perfect because Andy Ciccolella is cute, funny, and upbeat. He looks like every high school girl's dream date and has the social life that every high school guy wants. He said "hi" to so many people, guys and girls, during his tour. But most of all, he is genuine, and instills confidence in the high school juniors and seniors who join him on his hour-and-a-half tour of the University of Rhode Island.

I had never been on a tour at the University of Rhode Island. Lucky for me and all the high school students, Andy has two years of touring and orientation experience under his belt. This was an entirely new experience for me, and even through my cynical eyes, URI looked pretty good. I'm a junior, but I still learned a lot about my campus, and saw some places I had never seen before.

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My International Politics class with Andy got out at 1:50 p.m. and we had to race to the Union to meet his tour. He got the first group and in a voice louder than I could muster, called out the names of his tour subjects and led them outside. They all stood with their arms crossed, trying to look confident but barely managing to look like they actually wanted to be there.

Andy's theme for the afternoon was fun, and he said this over and over. I laughed at Andy's zeal under my breath, but the parents and the kids seemed to be bolstered by his uplifting attitude. Andy didn't wear his sunglasses for the entire tour, despite the fact that it was super sunny, trying to look more approachable and friendlier than he already was.

Most tour guides walk backward and talk to their students, in continuous motion, but not Andy. "I'd trip on something, fall down; plus I just think it's obnoxious," he said. Instead of walking backwards, he stops and talks at key points. On this 85-degree day, this was a welcome respite from the heat.

Andy led the kids through Quinn Hall, across the Quad to Ballentine Hall where he showed them the trading wall like the one on Wall Street, and the shiny new classrooms. From Ballentine he led the students to Roosevelt Hall, where he explained University College, Academic Advising, Disability Services and the Writing Center.

Most people held their tongues until they got to the dorms. The dorm room I saw was much nicer than the one I lived in two years ago, showing that the University has done some major refurbishments. "Will we have to clean our own bathrooms?" one girl asked, "Is this a dry campus?" asked another boy. The dry campus question is a funny one, because URI is not technically wet and not technically dry. Andy was able to reassure the parents.

Then Andy took his group to the athletic centers, showed them all the facilities, and then asked everyone if they noticed that they had been walking down hill the whole time. Everyone nodded their heads. "Well, we're going all the way back up," he said, and showed them the true spirit of URI: that everything is uphill. He took them back to the Union, and sent them on their way with a newfound zeal for college life at URI.

Afterward, Andy had to squeeze in some homework before going to the orientation meeting for next year's freshmen that lasted from 6:15 p.m. to 9 p.m. and then finally going to his girlfriend's house for some rest and relaxation.

So this is the life of a tour guide. Despite Andy's hectic schedule, he always seemed happy, if not necessarily calm, and confident. Who knows how he stays this peppy. He'll do the same stuff tomorrow, and he'll seem to have just as much fun doing it. During the summer Andy will be an orientation leader for incoming freshmen, and in the fall he'll be happily leading tours again.

Learn more about becoming a tour guide: Recruitment for tour guides takes place in the fall. It is advertised all over campus and there is a booth in the Memorial Union. There is an extensive application process, including a written application and an interview. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors are welcome to apply.

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