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My Interview with Our Resident Advisor Essay examples

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On a rather dreary Sunday afternoon, I had the pleasure of interviewing Alex, an RA in Haaland Hall, about her experiences as and RA and her thoughts on leadership. Alex was a little tired, but still chipper after staying up the previous night for weekend hall duties, which included rounds at 2:00 AM. Alex has been an RA for two years, previously in Christensen Hall and now in Haaland Hall, so she was able to offer me a wealth of advice based on years of experience. We began with a brief tour of Haaland Hall, and what an RA’s room looks like. We discussed the difference between working in an all-freshmen dorm hall and a dorm hall that is open to all undergrad students. She told me that at times it was harder to pull people out of their …show more content…

Listener, charismatic, and open-minded had been my top three picks, and I remember role-model making the list. But I feel one word we should have paid more attention to was empower. An RA will be the leader of their floor, but should also be someone their residents can call a friend and depend on for support. I am lucky enough to have a relationship like this with my current RA. If I need advice on a matter or am in a pinch, I can trust my RA will be there and have my back. I hope to be someone’s support system, and empower them to do great things. Alex told me her favorite part of being a leader was the impact you can have on people, and the gratification you feel when they thank you for “just being there.” She gave me an example from her first year as an RA in Christensen Hall, when one of her girls was extremely homesick and wanted to move home immediately. Alex talked to her a lot, brought her to the counselling center, and the girl stuck out her freshmen year at UNH, transferring closer to home in the fall. In all her examples, it seemed the simple act of holding a conversation with someone and allowing them the chance to truly be heard can have such an impact on others. As an Occupational Therapy major, this is the kind of effect I hope to have on my clients someday, and I would love to start by having this influence on my residents. When asked what some of the challenges of being an RA were, Alex told me she

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