Rolling Stone Interview: Meet the Cast of The College Tour | Francesca Ellis | Watch HPU

Chapters & Transcript

0:00

Hi, I'm Jodi from Rolling Stone. I'm also a 2015 High Point University graduate. When I heard that HPU was going to be in its own episode of The College Tour, I had to come back to campus to see what it was all about. Come meet the cast with me.

Okay, so I am so excited to be sitting here talking to you. I have actually seen the episode so you're a full-blown star to me, like I feel like I'm interviewing a celebrity right now. But for everybody, all the viewers at home who might not know who you are yet, uh, can you introduce yourself a little bit and just talk a little bit about what you talked about on the show?

Yeah, so I'm Francesca.

0:37

I am a senior here from New Jersey and in my segment I talk a lot about student life and being involved, which I really tried to do when I got here. Because High Point really does give you those core life skills and really gives you the opportunity to grow here, and I just took that upon myself.

And I was like, you know what, I'm going to be as involved as I can. I'm going to meet so many people. I'm going to have all these opportunities. And I just went for it.

It sounds like you might have some of that like go-getter attitude like already inside.

1:11

Of you, like you said, when you stepped on campus you knew you wanted to take advantage of opportunities. And then now you're getting to talk about High Point on a show that's going to be Nationwide. I mean millions maybe of people are going to see you on Amazon Prime.

How did it feel when you were asked to be a part of that? I was like, me really, but I was just like, you know what, let's try it and I fell in love with it.

And everyone's like, are you sure you're not meant to be on TV? I was like, well, I mean, having seen you on TV, I think it's fair to say you're meant to be on TV.

1:44

So this might just be the start, you know, who knows. When you heard that the college tour was coming to campus, were you surprised or were you like yeah, it's about time High Point on a national TV?

Oh, I thought it was about time. Everybody needs to know about the school because it was truly amazing and I'm just so glad that my parents were like yeah, let's send you to High Point.

In my career I've been lucky enough to be on different kinds of film sets and the college tour is a very legitimate production. Definitely, when I walked up I expected just a guy with a camera and then I walk up and there are lights, there's this whole production team and I was like wow this is legit and all my friends were like wow we feel like celebrities.

2:21

Was there anything that you didn't get to talk about during filming that you think is really important for people to know about the campus?

Yeah, definitely just honing in on the life skills and the opportunities that are here. High Point is here to give you those wings, like my mom always tells me. You know what, like why not take it, eat up every second of it while you're here.

2:42

Are you ready for how your life is going to change once the show airs? Because like I said you're going to become a celebrity, you're going to be a star, you're going to go out into the world, everyone's going to want to talk to you, want to like be your Instagram friend.

Like are you excited for all that? Oh, I'm so excited. It's really cool to like have that experience and feel like a campus celebrity almost.

Jodi Guglielmi, a High Point University alumna and Deputy News Director at Rolling Stone, returns to her alma mater to interview Francesca Ellis, a senior featured in season 11 of the award-winning Prime Video series The College Tour. Francesca discusses how HPU's culture of student involvement helped her embrace over 250 clubs and organizations, the professional production experience of filming the show, and the unique premier life skills High Point cultivates in its students.

Rolling Stone Interview: Meet the Cast of The College Tour | Francesca Ellis

Rolling Stone Interview: Meet the Cast of The College Tour | Francesca Ellis

Why is High Point University on The College Tour?

How can students get involved on campus at HPU?

What is it like to film an episode of The College Tour?

Why is High Point University perfect for a TV show?

What premier life skills does High Point University offer?

How does starring on national TV impact a college student?