The Bearpaw Campus Ranger program made its way to Elon University’s campus this fall for the second year. From Sept. 27 to Dec. 5, students were given the chance to have a hands-on, paid experience with the Bearpaw Marketing Team. 

Bearpaw is a brand of footwear founded by Tom Romeo in 2001. They created the campus ranger program to spread awareness of the brand around different college campuses. 

Though a student can gain valuable marketing experience in the classroom, Junior Alissa Kapp said campus ambassador programs are not limited to just business majors. She has been a brand ambassador for downtown Elon’s All That Jas since September and has used it as an opportunity to broaden her skill set.

“It’s interesting for me because I haven’t done much with marketing or social media as an environmental science major, but I’m learning important skills that can pertain to any discipline in the age of social media,” Kapp said. 

TikTok, Bumble and other similar brands have hired college students as brand ambassadors and many of these programs have already made their way to Elon. Senior Cameron Brady has worked as a campus ambassador for Hint, a flavored water company, for two years she said the experience was rewarding. 

“I have seen the impact first hand of the brand becoming more recognized across Elon’s campus,” Brady said. 

Stephanie Larkins, manager of the Bearpaw Campus ambassadors, spoke about how the Bearpaw campus ranger program is a way to gain skills in many levels of marketing and production.

“Part of the job as a Bearpaw campus ranger is hosting events that help students get involved with the brand,” Larkins said. “The program is a way to express creativity and practice social media content creation — a skill that can be applied to many disciplines.” 

One of the Bearpaw key messages is to get outside into nature. Bearpaw held the event ‘Bearpaw Around the Campfire’ on Nov. 16 to promote being outside. Though Bearpaw has a large focus on getting outdoors, they also emphasize taking time to relax and unwind. Sophomore Emma Zelkind attended the event and said the Bearpaw Around the Campfire event attracted people for this reason. 

“It was amazing to see so many people come together around a campfire to take a break from the fast paced school life and learn more about Bearpaw,” Zelkind said. 

Life Life Comfortably

A second event took place Nov. 29. The theme was Bearpaw’s slogan, “Life Life Comfortably,” and the event was held with Elon Yoga Club. 

This semester, Bearpaw presentations were done at the Elon Book Club and an Active Minds Meeting to spread awareness of the brand. Georgia Stoddard, president of Active Minds, said it was a great way to learn more about Bearpaw’s initiatives of the program. 

“I also didn’t realize they were such a value driven company and gave back in so many different ways.” 

To learn more about the Bearpaw Campus Ranger program or the foundations Bearpaw associates with visit bearpaw.com. Bearpaw is now accepting applications for their Spring Campus Ranger program and students can apply directly on their website.

Cassidy Schumn is a brand ambassador for the Bearpaw Campus Ranger program.