When I talk to friends and family about my job, I have to explain that I do more than just reading applications. People are always surprised to learn that it's not just about recruiting and traveling, that there are a lot of other moving pieces, too.
- Name
- Bianca Decatur
- Title
- Admissions counselor
- Department
- Office of Undergraduate Admissions
- Divisions
For many Johns Hopkins applicants, visiting the campus is one of the first—and most critical—opportunities to get to know the university. And with upward of 48,000 visitors coming for tours in 2018, making sure everything runs smoothly is no easy task.
That's where Bianca Decatur comes in. An admissions counselor in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, Decatur is one of three advisers for the Blue Key Society, a group of students serving as the face of the university through tours, coffee chats, info sessions, hosted stays, and more.
As a Blue Key adviser, Decatur works closely with the organization's student leadership, assisting as they guide the roughly 100 new members each year through a semester-long training process before joining the ranks of Blue Key tour guides.
"When the students are out on the tours, when they're talking to families and students, you can tell that they really love this place," Decatur says. "And they have a desire to share that love."
The campus tour is an experience close to her heart. It wasn't too long ago that Decatur was hosting her own tours as a student at the University of Virginia, from which she graduated in May 2018.
Her current role is a full-circle moment for Decatur, who came to Johns Hopkins two months later. "Coming straight from college, where I was a student training other students, now I'm the person who is in charge of those student leaders," she says. "So that's been a lot of fun."
