Resident Assistant

I like helping people; I think mostly everyone does. In the future I want to have some profession that involves helping people, but right now I’m a resident assistant, where I help people all the time! I think being an RA is giving me so much insight to different things in life: how to work with people, plan a program, get to know individuals on a personal level, how to handle unexpected situations, etc. For that reason, I am thankful for my job!

What does it take to be an RA? So many things! Interviewers look at how responsible you are, how you lead, how you interact with others, and, most importantly, why you want to be an RA. After multiple interviews, both group and individual, games, and “what would you do in this scenario?” questions, housing and residence life sends you “the email,” where you find out if you got an RA position, alternate position, or no position at all. Last year, I got the good email: we hope you accept a resident assistant position in Milton Daniel for the 2010-2011 school year. Needless to say, I was ecstatic!

Being an RA in Milton Daniel is so different from being an RA any other building—mostly because we are interlinked with the honors program. Honors professors come in and out of the building, and that’s completely normal. We are actually all celebrating Halloween together! It’s really great to work with and get to know the faculty so well!

Like any profession, there are pros and cons. Here’s the positive!

• I got to move into a brand-new, beautiful building at TCU and, since I’m an RA, room & board is my compensation.
• I get to work with 24 lovely & beautiful freshmen : )
• My hall director and staff are here to support me, whether I’m stressed with school or need help with anything
• I get to decorate a bulletin board and my whole hall (I love anything that involves being artsy!)
• I get to know the housing and residence life & honors staff, and they are awesome!

Cons

• I have to live alone
• Stuff happens! During RA training we learned how to deal with so many things: residents who have been drinking, are depressed, have eating disorders, having conflicts with their roommates, and much more. Turns out, this happens in real life…and sometimes at the most inopportune moments.
• Sometimes friends don’t understand why being an RA is so time-consuming, which is frustrating.
• Technically, I’m always on duty whenever I’m in the building. It’s my responsibility to handle a situation I may see.

I love my job despite the cons (I would have peaced out ASAP if I didn’t!) and I know that it’s preparing me for my professional life. I feel so blessed that I was chosen to be an RA because I know (or hope!) that I will be positively influencing my residents and I’m here to mentor them. Whenever it gets tough, I tell myself that I was chosen for a reason. Helping people can wear down on you, but at the end of the day it’s what I love to do and it’s so rewarding!

“I have found the paradox that if I love until it hurts, then there is no more hurt, but only more love.” Mother Teresa