Being a Resident Advisor

When I first accepted the position to manage 45 residents on my floor, I went in with a mindset that I was merely there to make sure everyone followed the rules and there was no major issue on the floor. However, serving the position, I realized that being an RA was so much more than that. I believe the biggest value this position has given me is becoming a servant leader. A servant leader shares power, puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible, and I feel I am moving more and more towards it as I’m moving forward with my role. As an RA, I had to do Bearcat Chats with all my residents which was essentially just a check-in to make sure they’re doing okay. While chatting with all my residents who were mostly freshmen, I realized that they really looked up to me and that gave me this sense of responsibility that I have to be worthy enough to give them advice. Every time a resident comes up to me with a conflict, I have to ensure that as a leader, I serve them with utmost sensitivity and justice. Whenever I am on-call, answering calls at 3am at night fills you with the sense of duty that you have to put the needs of your residents before your personal comfort. I have to ensure that I am providing a community for everyone I am responsible for, and that they feel welcomed and safe in their place of residence. So overall, being an RA is helping me grow as a servant leader and I hope to do justice to my position for as long as I hold it.

This whole experience taught me that the job I hold requires me to be responsible for so many things, big and small. Since then, whenever I am on-call, answering calls late at night fills me with the sense of duty that I have to put the needs of my residents before my personal comfort. I have to ensure that I am providing a community for everyone I am responsible for, and that they feel welcomed and safe in their place of residence.