A college Residential Advisor is not only responsible for ensuring the safety of all their residents, but also fostering an environment that welcomes students from diverse backgrounds and identities. Entering college, I was already aware of the fact that I wanted to take on such an endeavor seeing that I have always had a passion for mentoring younger people, and guiding them on the right path. However, while I always was fond of the idea of being an RA, I was never aware of what it would be like to be an RA at Wesleyan. Unlike at other universities, residential advisors at Wesleyan go further than just following safety protocols, and creating safe spaces; RA’s have the job of fostering friendships, providing mentorship, and bringing hallmates from various backgrounds into one family. While I am sure this is …show more content…
Now that I have had this experience that I believe is unique to the job of RAs at Wesleyan, I want to provide the same experience to the next class of students entering Wesleyan, or further enhance this experience if placed with students who are now in their continued years at Wesleyan. With that said, I am aware of the physical, and emotional strains this job can have on anyone who serves in this position, and it is imperative that one can handle these difficulties so that the duties of an RA are still met. I am confident in my ability to do so seeing that I have experience working as a summer camp counselor, and as my class president in high school for all four years. As a summer camp counselor, I have experience with safety protocol training, conflict management, and team bonding tactics that could easily be transferred over to a position as an RA. While there is a clear connection between an RA and a camp counselor, my role as a continuing class president may not be as clear of a
Becoming a PA is a way to not only help the new incoming students but also a way to know and interact with the new residents, which is exactly why Rachel decided to become one, “I wanted to interact with the residents and get to know them but not on the same level as an RA.” There is a huge difference between being an RA and being a PA, well at least to me there is. A PA links residents to academic resources on the campus and helps the residents’ transition from high school level to college level. PAs serve as permanent extra resources that are available 24/7; if you do not know how to study or build up your study habits they are there to help you with that. Not only are the PAs living in the dorms with residents but they also share and serve as teacher assistants in the UNIV 1231 course with the residents they are assigned to. The PAs are almost like academic advisors in a way, they assist the residents with
I had the absolute honor of meeting and interviewing the wonderful Isis Howard, a Residential Advisor in PCV 1. Isis, a 2nd year Environmental Management and Protection major, greeted me with a smile which led me to immediately feel comfortable around her. Isis had several personal motivations for why she chose to become a RA; ranging from personal growth and gaining useful life skills, such as communication, honesty, and leadership, to giving back to the Cal Poly community. One point brought up that resigned with me was that her transition to living on her own had been difficult, but her RAs were there for her every step of the way. Their efforts to create a sense of home in an unfamiliar environment truly motivated her to become a RA. Now that Isis has received the job, she mentions she receives the benefits that she hoped for from the beginning everyday- she continues to develop skills in a wide range of areas that deem valuable for life.
First and foremost, I think that it is most important for a Resident Advisor to be open and able to keep the peace within the resident’s hall. Whether it be dealing with roommate difficulties, confronting inappropriate behavior, or dealing with
The role of a Residential Advisor at Allen Hall is crucial in shaping the lives of the students they mentor, as well as creating an uplifting, accepting atmosphere to nurture acceptance and diversity so every resident prospers. It is even more vital to cater to the needs of the students. At Allen, this means extra emphasis in inclusion and diversity education because the hall is regarded as very diverse and forward thinking. To create a positive atmosphere is needed for the students from different backgrounds. Not only this, but Allen Hall is my own residence hall, and also a hall I have found that I fit best with. When I first came, I was unsure of how I would feel because it hadn’t been my first choice in living options. It turned out to
Throughout my life as a child and teenager, I was told by my parents that they worked really hard to get to the safe town and community that we lived in. Growing up in Pacific Grove, California gave me lots opportunities that I didn’t even know I obtained. Unless it had happened to me personally, I didn’t really understand the full picture of what others had to go through. Having dyslexia, the only subject I felt I really excelled in was art. After high school, I still had no idea what I wanted to do for a career or even a major. Monterey Peninsula College has boosted my confidence by showing me that I can be and do much more. Two years ago I would never have guessed that I would be applying to the University of Washington.
I joined HOSA freshmen year, looking for opportunities to explore new things and develop new friendships. I was hoping to expand my knowledge about health care careers in a fun and interactive setting, HOSA provided me with just that. HOSA gave me with the platform, which I was looking for to improve my knowledge about the health science field. I was able to compete at the state level in Greensboro, and at the national level in Nashville. For me, attending these competitions provided me with an experience that greatly increased my interest and knowledge of the medical field. Becoming a HOSA district officer would enable me to further enrich my experiences by becoming a better leader and communicator, by sharing my experiences with younger students who are interested in joining the health care field, and grants me to have a bigger impact in HOSA and in my community. Becoming a HOSA district officer will allow me to improve myself as well as bettering the lives of others.
As a resident assistant, I upheld and am continuing to uphold University Housing’s mission of ensuring affordable, comfortable, secure housing on campus while promoting the academic success and personal growth of the residents. From crisis management to programming for the community, my responsibilities varied to be an enforcer of the policies but also to be a friend to all. I built quality relationships with each of my residents to establish an authentic community among the diverse population. Whether it was simply helping
1. There are many attributes that I have that are much more indicative of my potential than my SAT scores. To begin, I am a dedicated student-athlete who also takes AP classes in all of my core courses. In field hockey, I was a four-year starter, First Team All-Conference for three years, Second Team All-State, and in my senior year I was voted captain by my teammates; to add, I am doing all of this while taking AP classes. This shows that even though my scores for a single standardized test were not as high as I would have liked.
The first reason I want to be a Residential Leader is because I feel like students will need someone to talk to several times while at school and an RL is the perfect person to go to. Students don’t want to go to their parents most of the time because they’re afraid they will disappoint them and they will not look at them the same after they’ve done something they regret. Students also don’t want to go to the counselor on campus because they feel like most of the stuff they need to talk about isn’t that serious, they just need to get it out to someone they can trust. Students trust their RL because they’re chosen to keep watch on their hall, they’re there to protect them when need be and to be a mentor for everyone. RL’s need good listening ears and the ability to take situations and diffuse them and I feel like I have that ability. In high school all my friends came to me for advice and most
Changing the Stigma of Relationships Between Community Advisor and Residents Intro If you’ve already been through college and lived on campus, chances are, you had a resident assistant (RA) or community advisor (CA) that was in charge of your hall or building. Wikipedia defines a community advisor as “a trained peer leader who supervises those living in a residence hall or group housing facility”. Next year, I will be a community advisor in a freshman hall, which, honestly, was the last hall I wanted, but I’m going to make the best of it and I’m still excited for the job.
I am writing to apply for the Student Assistant position with your unit at the Board of Equalization. I feel I am the best candidate to be considered for this position. • Writing skills – I have completed my College Composition as well as my Advanced College Composition class in my first year of college. I did well, receiving A’s in all my essays and the class altogether. I have a passion for writing and I feel that I am readily able to write in any situations.
When I was a new RA, the biggest solace was having veteran RAs there for me. If I needed advice or suggestions, knowing there were other RAs to help took a huge burden off my shoulders. From this experience, I plan on following my predecessors’ action by encouraging new and returning RAs to seek me for advice if he/she ever needs help. A huge asset for RAs is sharing past experiences and I plan to continue to do this for next year’s staff, if given the opportunity. If rehired, I plan on being a positive presence on the staff and offering to assistance in any way I can.
My Mother and Father relocated from Costa Rica to New York City where they met got married and where I was born. When I was just two years old, always wanting the best for us, my father moved our family from New York City to Jacksonville, FL in search of a better paying job and the American dream so he could provide us with a better quality of life. To ensure we were always clothed and feed, my father sacrificed everything for us and worked long hours to do so. Though I did have a pronounced, safe and active upbringing the North Florida school system didn’t expect much from the Hispanics that were starting to move to the then small town; unfortunately since my parents worked so much they expected the school system
Explain why you are interested in the RA position and what skills you possess that make you a good candidate for the position.
Recently, Yale University announced that it would be removing former Vice President John C. Calhoun name from one of their residential colleges. While we know now that slavery was immoral and ultimately abolished, Calhoun, an 1804 Yale graduate was a committed slavery supporter. The university will remained the said residential college after Navy Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper who was a pioneering computer scientist.