Georgetown Blue and Gray Tour Guides

09/28/2021

We are so excited to announce our newest guides for Fall 2021! Please join us in welcoming them to the Blue & Gray family, we can't wait to walk backwards with you!

04/15/2021

Congratulations to Caroline Coopersmith (COL ’23), our March Tour Guide of the Month! Thank you for all that you do for Blue and Gray!

1.Favorite part of being a tour guide?
“I love getting the chance to fall in love with Georgetown again on every tour I give. My tour was a huge reason why I thought Georgetown would be a good fit for me and giving tours allows me to go through this process all over again and share it with prospective students.”

2.Favorite spot on campus?
“There's a window right by Gaston Hall that has a gorgeous view of DC.”

3.Dream co-tour?
“My dad. He was also a tour guide in college and I think it would be so much fun to give a tour with him. I think his humor and his historical knowledge would make for a great co-tour.”

To see all of our past TGOMs, check out: https://www.georgetowntourguides.com/tour-guide-of-the-month

03/10/2021

We are so excited to announce our newest guides for Spring 2021! Please join us in welcoming them to the Blue & Gray family, and we are so excited to see them guiding families around campus!

02/05/2021

This year is presenting new and difficult challenges for Georgetown students, and we want to take the steps to be more open about our process. In an effort to make our organization more accessible to prospective applicants, we are moving our application deadline back two (2) weeks to February 22nd. This will move first and second round interviews back week as well, to February 27th-28th and March 6th-7th respectively.

12/03/2020

Congratulations to Maya Moretta (COL ’21), our November Tour Guide of the Month! Thank you for all that you do for Blue and Gray!

1. Favourite part of being a tour guide?
“My favorite part of being a guide is the long conversations I have with prospective students at the end of the tour. I really love getting to know them and I feel like that is when I really get to have great conversations about my experiences at Georgetown.”

2. Favourite spot on campus?
“(kind of bizarrely) The LXR rooftop. It has a surprisingly nice view and very few people.”

3. Dream co-tour?
“Mariah Johnson

09/30/2020

Congratulations to Preet Rajpal (SFS ‘22), our September Tour Guide of the Month! Thank you for all that you do for Blue & Gray!

1. Favourite part of being a tour guide?
“My favorite part about being a tour guide is having an opportunity to share what makes Georgetown special with prospective students and their families. Leading tour groups through campus is always so exciting because I get to interact with so many different people from unique backgrounds. By the end of each tour, I am always reminded about how privileged I am to call myself a Hoya.”

2. Favourite spot on campus?
“My favorite spot on campus would definitely have to be the LXR rooftop. I think that it's better than the Vill A rooftop because the view of Healy is so much better.”

3. Dream co-tour?
“My dream co-tour would be with Kygo. He probably wouldn't offer much in terms of Georgetown specific knowledge, but I'm a really big fan of his music and I'm hoping I can get his autograph after the tour.”

See all of our recent TGOMs here: https://www.georgetowntourguides.com/tour-guide-of-the-month

09/23/2020

We are so thrilled to welcome our newest guides for Fall 2020! Please join us in congratulating them! We can’t wait to walk backwards with you guys soon 💙

09/07/2020

Listen to what some of our members have to say about their experience as a tour guide for Georgetown and why you should apply to Blue & Gray this fall!

Applications due on Tuesday September 8 at 5:00PM EDT. Apply at https://www.georgetowntourguides.com/apply

08/29/2020

The application for our Fall 2020 cycle is now open at https://www.georgetowntourguides.com/apply! Applications are due Tuesday, September 8 at 5 PM EST.

06/03/2020

Dear Blue and Gray family,

The Blue and Gray Tour Guide Society stands in solidarity with the Black community after the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and the countless other Black lives that have been ruthlessly taken by police brutality. We recognize that these deaths are endemic to members of the Black community's everyday lives and the systemic oppression and injustice they face.

As an organization in charge of introducing many prospective students and families to campus, we have a responsibility to represent Georgetown accurately and fairly. As a direct response to recent events, we will be re-examining how we talk about our campus police, GUPD, the broader issue of safety, and race at Georgetown. We will also actively evaluate the way we talk about Georgetown's history and student activists' ongoing efforts for a more equitable campus.

To directly address our shortcomings as an organization, Blue and Gray will host a mandatory Bias and Diversity training every semester during Tourientation, our organization-wide training. We will also expand our training on the history and ongoing projects regarding GU272 to ensure that each of our guides is appropriately educated and ready to speak to visitors on every tour about Georgetown's history of slavery.

This alone is not enough, but we are committed to continuously improving as an organization and working towards a more equitable campus. We are open to your feedback and contributions. Please reach out to any member of the Executive Board.

We have asked and encouraged our members to contribute to the following organizations:

Directory of Community Bail Funds: https://www.communityjusticeexchange.org/nbfn-directory

Color of Change: https://colorofchange.org

NAACP Legal Defense Fund: https://www.naacpldf.org

The Official George Floyd Memorial Fund: https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd

Reclaim the Block: https://www.reclaimtheblock.org

Other resources for education and activism:

Staying safe and protected during protests:https://www.amnestyusa.org/pdfs/SafeyDuringProtest_F.pdf

Know Your Rights: https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/

Ways To Help and Contribute: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/

Black Virtual Therapist Directory: https://www.beam.community/bvtn

Free Yale Course on African American History: From Emancipation to the Present: https://oyc.yale.edu/african-american-studies/afam-162

Anti-Racism Educational Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BRlF2_zhNe86SGgHa6-VlBO-QgirITwCTugSfKie5Fs/mobilebasic

Georgetown Student Input: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfcnv5_YYpD1wVfxQkeU4R4hmZ7vfJhblISrmUrJhdA1xWvkw/viewform

Essential Summer Reading: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ariannarebolini/george-floyd-amy-cooper-antiracist-books-reading-resources

It is not enough not to be racist: we need to do better and be actively anti-racist. We cannot be silent because Black Lives Matter.

So much B&G love,
The Board

05/19/2020

Want to learn about the origins of the GUTS buses? Or see the original plans for Healy Hall? Check out Hoya alums Paul O’Neill and Bennie Smith’s Instagram page that includes photos and fun facts about Georgetown’s storied past from their upcoming book!

Paul ONeill and Bennie Smith has 22 posts on their Instagram profile. Follow their account to see all their photos and videos.

04/19/2020

Hear from one of our newest guides Lea Frawley on her favorite parts about being a tour guide, the application process, mentorship and more! Check out Georgetown University's Facebook and Instagram pages for more creative content showcasing life on the Hilltop through the Georgetown Stories program!

Lea (COL'23) is a first-year student who just became a Blue & Gray tour guide at Georgetown University. In this video, she explains why she likes being a tou...

04/03/2020

Presenting our March Tour Guides of the Month - the graduating Seniors from the outgoing 2019-20 B&G Board:

Ravisa Kalsi, President
Tim Coan, Vice President
Justice Bennett, Director of Training
Kylie Navarro, Director of Marketing and Finance
Matt Buckwald, Director of Recruitment
Megan Carey, Tour Coordinator

A note from President and Vice President Emeritus, Ravisa and Tim to the entire organization:

Throughout these past few weeks, we have had the chance to reflect on the impact Blue & Gray has had on our Georgetown experience and the lasting influence it will have on our lives forever. However sad it may be to say goodbye, our time on board has been one of the most meaningful, memorable and inspiring experiences during our time on the Hilltop. And we cannot properly reflect on our tenure as the Blue & Gray 2019-20 Executive Board without thanking each and every one of you. No matter the occasion, you all rose to the challenge and stepped up to make this organization what we all wanted and needed it to be. Knowing that, we felt the need to properly convey our immense gratitude to each and every one of you for making this chance, this moment, so special.

Your passion for the organization, be that through being a mentor, serving on the Recruitment Committee or Tour Quality Committee, participating in panels, attending outreach and diversity events, mid-semester check-ins, proudly sporting B&G apparel, dining at dinner with guides, and most importantly by giving tours, was resounding and left a lasting impact on this board, this organization, Georgetown, and the thousands of visitors that walk through the front gates every year. Our board was constantly energized and invigorated by the dedication and zeal you all brought to the organization and it inspired us to continue to give back and change the Society for the better. Understanding that this post can in no way replace an in-person message, please accept this thank you (spelled out if you read the first letter in each sentence of this post) from us and the Board.

Hoya Saxa and B&G love forever!

03/02/2020

Congratulations to August Iorio ('20), our February Tour Guide of the Month! Thank you for all that you do for our organization! See all of our recent TGMs here: https://www.georgetowntourguides.com/tour-guide-of-the-month

1. Favorite part of being a tour guide?

My favorite part about being a tour guide is when a fellow Hoya tells me that I was their tour guide!

2. Favorite place on campus?

My favorite spot on campus is the Jan Karski Memorial next to the Admissions office in White-Gravenor Hall. Sometimes before a tour, I like to sit on the bench and look at Healy Hall as I reflect on how grateful I am to be here at Georgetown and how I can best share those feelings with my tour group.

3. Dream co-tour?

My dream co-tour would be Jack the Bulldog. I would drive him backward in his little doggy car.

02/26/2020

This past week a group of lucky guides attended a free Rumble boxing class downtown! Thank you to Rumble for welcoming our guides in to your studio - we will definitely be back soon!

02/11/2020

Last night, we were thrilled to be hosted by Pizzeria Paradiso, who provided free pizza and fun games at our Meet&Greet with new guides! It was great to have the organization come together over delicious food in such a great atmosphere!

The Pizzeria Paradiso game room is an awesome venue with a bar, dart boards, pinball machines, skee ball, and a shuffleboard, and is perfect for group events or just hanging out. Our guides can't wait to head back!

02/10/2020

On Sunday, we brought our entire organization together for our semesterly Tourientation. In addition to presentations from our guides on aspects of student life, we were excited to have a special guest speaker, Mr. Paul O’Neill (C’86). Mr. O'Neil is working on a book detailing Georgetown's history, and the guides loved hearing about the interesting history of Georgetown!

As we began training our newest guides and welcomed back our returning members, we were grateful to have catering donated by Jetties! Jetties is a great sandwich, salad, and soup shop that is perfect for catering events. Our guides loved the variety of sandwiches to choose from, and we can't wait to work with Jetties again in the future!

02/10/2020

This Wednesday, ten Blue & Gray tour guides participated in Jesuit Wednesdays for dinner and conversation with two of Georgetown's Jesuits-in-residence.

Jesuit Wednesdays are an opportunity for clubs to share dinner and conversation with some of the Jesuits who call Georgetown home, learn about the Jesuit tradition, and share their own experiences at Georgetown. It was a great evening of conversation and food, and we were so excited to take part!