A Temple University senior has played an integral role in developing a citywide initiative spearheaded by the Philadelphia Visitor Center. 

Kathryn Crandall helped launch the new Phambassadors movement which seeks to recruit 10,000 Philadelphians to serve as advocates, champions and storytellers ahead of Philadelphia’s 250th birthday. Philadelphians are asked to participate by signing a pledge, attending events and sharing their stories to help shape the Philly narrative. 

“Phambassadors is a citywide movement for Philadelphians who are champions of the city,” explained Crandall, a tourism and hospitality management major. 

“It’s for anybody who loves the city and is committed to representing Philadelphia.” 

Crandall was instrumental in coordinating event activations throughout the city and a pep rally held April 29 in Love Park which featured Temple’s mascot Hooter and all five Philly sports mascots. Hooter was the only university mascot who participated in the pep rally. 

Crandall enjoyed the dynamic experience of working on Phambassadors during her five-month internship with the Visitor Center. 

“There was a lot of communication between consultants, vendors and city officials and collaborations among many stakeholders, as this is such an exciting program and so many people want to be involved in it,” said the native of Bay Area, California. 

Crandall worked on the initiative with Kathryn Ott Lovell, president and CEO of the Philadelphia Visitor Center, and Jacleen Mowery, Phambassadors program director. 

Mowery turned to Temple’s School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management (STHM) to find an intern for the Visitor Center. 

“As a Temple alum and having taught tourism at Temple, I know the insights that these students bring. I know Temple students have that grit and that drive,” she said. 

“This program and the launch itself would not have been possible without all the support from Kathryn. So, hiring her and bringing her on board, I knew automatically that I was getting the values that I needed to make something like this successful,” Mowery continued. 

Crandall credits STHM with encouraging students to take advantage of internship experiences. The internships were instrumental in preparing her for potential full-time employment openings. 

“STHM pushed taking advantage of as many professional growth opportunities as possible,” said Crandall, who joins Emota as a project coordinator after graduating in May. 

“I have really appreciated STHM pushing us out into the real world because I don’t think that I would be where I am today, where I was able to have several job offers, without all of the experience that I gained.”