I served as a Resident Advisor (RA) at the University of Southern California. 

My Freshman Year

I still remember my freshman year at USC. I had joined a couple weeks late due to complications with plan to first go to Junior College. As a result, I had missed orientation. That first day was certainly daunting. On one hand I was trying to navigate academic policy to get reenrolled and on the other I was still acclimating to life away from home. 

The one thing that made the transition manageable was my local RA. She was a welcoming person who made every effort to make herself accessible to residents. When I had a question--and I had many my first week--she was just down the hall. More importantly, she helped me develop a sense of community where it likely otherwise wouldn't have been possible.

Many residents were fortunate to have met each other during orientation and had a chance to bond over ice breakers and socials. For me, I felt like that ship had sailed and that I would be forever at a disadvantage. 

During the semester, however, my RA hosted numerous social events for the building residents and focused particularly on inclusion. It was this community building that made me want to become an RA. I wanted to help future residents struggling with college life, similar to how I had been helped.

Studying to be an RA

In my sophomore year, I took the necessary counseling courses & completed the necessary prerequisites to become an RA. This included courses on how to counsel individuals, effective listening techniques, and bonding exercises.

During this journey, I met so many likeminded people who all had their personal reasons for wanting to contribute to student life at the college. It was incredible how close some of us became over the course of the year and how well we resonated with one another. By the time we got our bids for Junior Year, many of us knew we would end up working with each other to host some amazing events. 

I chose to be the resident advisor for Cardinal Gardens apartments (housing for Sophomores-Seniors). Post-Freshman residents tended to subscribe to their own social groups and disengaged with the larger community. Other residents were similar to myself, who--for whatever reason--had struggled to establish a community of their own Freshman year. I saw this as an opportunity to help them, specifically.

I wanted to be a counselor for residents through whom residents could openly discuss personal and intrapersonal issues. I wanted to build trust and to foster a community of residents who were comfortable with one another.

How I Served My Residents

RAs often carried a bad reputation as the one's who broke up parties. While I certainly had to maintain a safe living environment, I would say my attention was more focused on developing a strong sense of community for my residents where they could feel safe. 

I accomplished this through regular communication with residents and by engaging residents through social events. My events were particularly focused towards community development, diversity, and growth.

Individual RAs would typically host 6-7 events per semester, and we often had to maximized the limited funding we got. With that in mind, I tried to focus on events that relied more on experiences rather than places or things. 

One event that stood out was a free course in archery at a West LA community center. For many residents this was a first, and for others...well who does not like to shoot some arrows at targets. Logistically, all we had to figure out was food and transportation which was fairly easy. But the event was something unique that residents could look back on as having enjoyed together. 

Another event I hosted was volunteering at LA Mission. Using my registered volunteer status at the mission, I brought a dozen guests to help with meal prep & preparation for one of the shelters rehabilitation events. With the event taking place at 6am, this was something residents really had to want to do. It was refreshing to see just how many turned up. Those who made it bonded over the experience of giving to our community. By lunch we were starved and chatted about our morning over food from Grand Central Market. 

My Takeaway

In short, being an RA allowed me to realize the value of having a strong community & the difficulties individuals sometimes experience in finding their place amongst others. My role as RA has continued to influence me In almost every interpersonal experience following college (social and professional).