To My Freshman Year RA,

We made it!! Somehow, you were able to put up with all of us for the entire school year. You took us in as the new, confused, and probably annoying freshmen that we were, and you made us feel so welcomed and loved. You told us at our first floor meeting of the year that you would always be there when we needed you, and you went above and beyond on your word. You were one of the reasons why our freshman year was so amazing, and we are all so appreciative about that.

One of the largest pieces of advice that we were told as freshmen was to become friends with our RAs, but to be honest, I wasn't really sure how that would work. Now, looking back at the year, I saw how possible that really is, because you talked to us about much more than just how we were getting along with our roommates, or the floor living agreements. You asked us about our weeks, followed up on any tests, events, interviews or activities that we had and, most importantly, you were always there to listen to our freshmen gossip and drama. You did homework with us in the lounges, even when you were off duty, and being able to get closer to you when you weren't on duty was something that many of us never expected to do. We became more than your residents to you, and you became more than just our RA to us. And, your door was ALWAYS open, just like you said it would be in the beginning of the year, so we were always able to come vent to you or procrastinate from doing homework, even if that meant distracting you from doing yours, and not once did you kick us out or tell us you were too busy to talk (even when you should have).

Your boards livened up our floor with the cutest themes and ideas, and when we would see you up at 2 a.m. on a Tuesday night putting them together we could see how much thought and effort you put into creating them. Some people would just throw a saying or picture on their hall boards, but you (and the other RAs in our building) always made ours personal and special, whether it was envelopes for valentines, pictures of our faces or a bracket to follow along with the March Madness Tournament. You also made so many great efforts to have floor events, and even if we did not always show up to them, we still loved the ideas and really appreciate the thought that went into them. From Bachelor themed nights, to movie nights, to painting door-stops, you always had something cute for us to look forward to for floor bonding.

We know that the last thing you wanted to do was to write us up for something or get us in trouble, especially once you reached the point of being more than an RA to us, and we know that we weren't always on our best behavior. But, even if things did go wrong on our floor you always stayed calm, cool and collected, and you never held us to anything. We respected you because you showed so much respect toward us; you knew that we were responsible college students, and you treated us as such. Obviously it wasn't your goal to write us up for breaking any university rules or policies, but if it did happen, we know it was really just for our own good (for the most part), because you cared so much about us.

That might just be one of the main things that made you such a great RA: you really cared about us. Whether that meant talking to us when we were feeling down, cheering us on in our accomplishments or helping us when we felt like our lives were in shambles, we know we had your support all the time. You took the time to get to know not just us, but our entire building, even though you were only responsible for our floor. And that's not something you had to do -- that's something you chose to do.

You made us feel welcome, comfortable, and ready to tackle freshman year from the start, and now you are about to send us off into the rest of our college careers. But before we flee the nest, just know that without you by our sides throughout this journey, our freshmen years would not have been the same. Really, just thanks for being you, you're the best! You went above and beyond our expectations, and we have so much appreciation for that.

So Much Love,
Your residents.