Connecting International Students to UC Berkeley Through Alumni

Alumni networks are one of higher education's most underused recruitment assets. In Episode 26 of Higher Ed Chats, Bridgette Lehrer, Program Director at the Berkeley International Study Program (BISP) at UC Berkeley, joins host Scott Miller to discuss how a structured alumni ambassador program has become the backbone of BISP's international student recruitment strategy, and why the most effective outreach doesn't sound like outreach at all.

Bridgette has spent over 15 years at UC Berkeley, nearly seven of them building BISP's recruitment and marketing approach from the ground up. The program itself is nearly 20 years old, operating out of one of the world's top-ranked public universities and partnering with institutions across the globe, including five faculties at the University of Oslo.

The conversation centers on BISP's alumni ambassador program: how it's structured, what makes volunteers actually show up, and why cultivation starts before a student ever arrives on campus. Prospective students attending pre-departure information sessions are already raising their hands to become ambassadors. The exchange works because it's mutual: alumni receive letters of recommendation, LinkedIn endorsements, branded gear, and continued professional support from staff.

What's distinctive about BISP's approach to the international student experience is the commitment to stepping back. Rather than broadcasting institutional messaging, Bridgette's team encourages alumni to present in their native languages, develop their own content formats, and set the creative direction entirely. "We want to fall into the background as staff," Bridgette explains. "We're really there to help them to build their own connection and to encourage them to develop their own style of leadership." That philosophy extends to digital content: when a student asked why BISP wasn't on Instagram Reels, Bridgette handed her the keys. Unpolished, student-directed video now outperforms anything produced in-house.

The episode also covers how Bridgette is integrating AI tools into her marketing workflow, using ChatGPT and Claude for content calendars, alumni spotlights, and market research. One AI-assisted analysis of government-funded study abroad markets surfaced Chile as an unexpected recruitment opportunity, a finding she hadn't considered before.

Bridgette closes with what's actually driving international student enrollment decisions right now: career outcomes, micro-credentials, and the soft skills that employers prioritize. BISP runs two micro-credential programs, and that career ROI framing is shaping how the program markets itself to prospective students globally.

For enrollment managers and international recruitment teams thinking about how to improve the international student experience from the first point of contact, this conversation is a practical look at what peer-driven, alumni-powered recruitment looks like in practice.

Who’s in the episode?

Bridgette Lehrer is the Assistant Director of Marketing and Outreach for the Berkeley International Study Program at the University of California Berkeley. At UC Berkeley, she manages creative outreach, promotion, and brand awareness for the international student program. She has played a key role in finding new ways to connect with students abroad, including the use of alumni engagement as a marketing strategy.

Scott Miller is the host of Keystone Higher Ed Chats and the Executive Director of Keystone's international division, bringing over 11 years of EdTech experience to conversations about global education.

After graduating from DePauw University, living and working in different cultures showed him that stepping outside your comfort zone doesn't just broaden your horizons; it reshapes them entirely. That belief in the transformative power of international experiences brought Scott to Keystone in 2010, where he's spent over a decade (and counting) helping higher education institutions reach students worldwide.

On Keystone Higher Ed Chats, Scott speaks with thought-leaders in the industry about what he's most passionate about: how education changes lives, how cultural experiences broaden perspectives at any age, and how Keystone's mission—connecting students with their ideal higher education institution—makes those life-changing moments possible.

Timestamps & Takeaways

Timestamps

Takeaways

Start recruiting alumni ambassadors before they even arrive on campus
Bridgette's team identifies future ambassadors at pre-departure info sessions, before students have set foot in Berkeley. That head start matters: students who've already expressed interest make far more committed volunteers, and the program starts with goodwill built in rather than having to earn it later. For enrollment teams, this means your ambassador pipeline should sit inside your pre-arrival communications, not your alumni outreach.

Give students full creative control, then get out of the way
BISP's Instagram Reels program didn't come from a marketing brief. A student asked why they weren't doing it, said she'd start it, and Bridgette handed her the keys. As Bridgette put it: "I put her in the driver's seat and asked her to tell me what should we be doing." Unpolished, student-created content consistently outperforms produced creative for international audiences because it doesn't read as institutional. The practical move is to build the infrastructure (brand guidelines, approval workflows) and then step back.

Non-cash incentives keep volunteer ambassador programs sustainable
Pure volunteer programs burn out fast without a genuine exchange. BISP's model offers references, LinkedIn recommendations, and branded gear: concrete professional value that students actually want. It's not transactional in a way that undermines authenticity; it's an acknowledgment that ambassadors are investing real time, and the program should invest back. Institutions looking to scale ambassador networks should build this incentive structure in from the start, not add it later as a retention fix.

Run focus groups every semester, not just at launch
BISP holds focus groups each semester to understand what's working and what students want to see. Most institutions run one round of student research at program launch and then operate on assumptions from then on. Bridgette's approach treats student input as an ongoing data source, which is why the program's marketing stays current. A twice-yearly focus group is low cost and prevents creative drift.

Use AI to find recruitment markets you haven't thought to look for
Bridgette used ChatGPT and Claude to research countries with strong government financial backing for study abroad programs and surfaced Chile as an opportunity she hadn't considered. That's a concrete use case most institutions aren't running yet: prompt an AI tool with your target profile (government-funded students, specific academic interests, English proficiency levels) and ask it to identify markets that match. The research takes minutes and can flag regions your team wouldn't reach through standard competitor benchmarking.

Lead with career ROI and micro-credentials, especially for premium programs
Return on investment is now one of the top purchase drivers for international students considering programs like BISP. Bridgette specifically called out micro-credentials as a growing draw: BISP offers two (the Special Studies Program across eight topics, and a Field Studies and Entrepreneurship track). For institutions still leading with experience-focused messaging, this is worth reconsidering. Students and their families want to see the professional upside spelled out clearly, not implied.

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Connecting International Students to UC Berkeley Through Alumni

Who’s in the episode?

Bridgette Lehrer

Scott Miller

Timestamps & Takeaways

Timestamps

Takeaways

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