Iowa State’s new minority recruiter says she wants to help all students have a wonderful experience at the university.

Christy Montgomery, who succeeded James Davis when he resigned in early January, said her job is to assist students in exploring options and learning more about themselves while in college.

Montgomery, a former graduate assistant in the admissions office, said her knowledge about the field and her previous experience are significant to her job.

“I feel that there is definitely a need for not just minority students, but all students at Iowa State, to be informed,” Montgomery said. “No matter if they are from Iowa or the rest of the United States, they deserve a chance.”

Montgomery said developing strong communication and providing a diverse atmosphere at ISU are crucial to her mission.

“I hope to bring students the best, so that they can get a good experience at Iowa State that can’t be found anywhere else,” she said.

Montgomery now plays an active role in several recruiting programs. One of them, the George Washington Carver Scholarship, offers about 60 full-tuition scholarships to minority students in Iowa and the rest of the United States.

“The program is looking for very strong academic students with a 24 ACT or better and who belong to the top 25 percent in their class,” Montgomery said.

Prospective students will have a chance to visit the ISU campus through a series of four group trips in March. The trips will pick up students from a number of cities, such as Sioux City, Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Waterloo, Council Bluffs, the Quad Cities and Omaha.

Montgomery said students will form a few groups, each made up of 20 to 40 people.

One group from Chicago will come to town by themselves.

“The campus tour will give students a chance to meet the financial advisers, and they will stay in the residence halls to experience college life with current residents,” she said.

Montgomery spoke fondly of her predecessor, saying Davis is a wonderful person who created a lot of opportunities for minority students at ISU.

She said she plans to continue those opportunities by working with such programs as the National Achievement Scholarship, a recruiting effort to assist high school students.