I was always the kid growing up who would get really sad at the end of the school year. Everyone else was so excited that they would have the whole summer to go on vacation and to the beach, watch cartoons, and play video games. Trust me, I looked forward to all of that too, especially getting to spend time with my family and my dog.

There was always a part of me that was upset because the school year was coming to an end, and I wouldn’t see my friends every day. I would miss the routine of going to school, learning, doing work, staying busy, and being surrounded by some of my best friends. Even those some years were rocky, I still found something good in them, and no one likes when good things have to come to an end.

Even though I’m in college now, I still am like this. I still have this love of learning, and while I am incredibly thrilled to be done with another semester and closer to my career goals, there’s still this sense of sadness that I have when my residents start packing up their things and leaving. When I put out the sign out sheet, and I go through the rooms for checkouts, it feels really empty.

My residents were a big part of my life this year, and as they pack up and leave, they just leave the memories we made behind. I enjoyed seeing my residents every day and having conversations with them—learning all about them, how their classes were going, and their plans for the future. That’s one of my favorite things—to listen about other people’s plan for the future. It’s amazing to hear about other people’s goals and watch them achieve them.

I’m moving out tomorrow, and currently, I’m procrastinating packing up my things. As I have done checkouts through the day, it makes me nostalgic. I remember at the very beginning of the year when I moved in for RA training in the fall. The hall felt empty. I worked on the room condition reports, trying to write down every detail so at the end of the year, no one would get charged. While move in day was busy, I couldn’t wait to get to know my residents.

While all RAs struggled to get adjusted to going back to school, remembering everyone’s names, and trying to build community, at the same time, it was exciting. A new hall and a new year means there are new opportunities to build friendships, have awesome socials, and make good memories.

Throughout the year, I got to know my girls, and I got the opportunity to see them grow. With socials, and by seeing them on the hall, I got to know them better as I tried to build community on the hall to make their college experience and living on campus a little bit brighter. Now, as I am working on checkouts, I think back on how each and every one of my residents made a positive impact on my year this year. While I wish I could keep the same hall for next year, I am thrilled to have a new hall next year because it opens the doors to all of these new friendships and memories my girls and I made this year.

RAs have this misconception that we are like a hall monitor that enjoys writing you up. We are also perceived as this person that knocks on your door and demands that you be social. We are people, just like you. We have feelings and we genuinely will miss you. Speaking for all of the RAs I know, we all work hard at our jobs because we love what we do. We want the best college experience for you. We want you to succeed. And while we will miss seeing your smiling face every day, we are excited that you finished another semester and we know that you are destined to do great things.