Being a resident assistant, or RA, is undoubtedly one of the most rewarding positions that can be held in college. The misconception that most people may fall into believing is that we're only focused on enforcing document policies and seeking out people who violate them, or forcing our residents to come to perhaps what seems like pointless events or programs. However, within the RA position, there is so much more involved–so much more that goes on behind the scenes. RAs take on many roles and juggle multiple tasks. Between the logistics and the relational aspects, we are our residents' biggest fans, most supportive encouragers, peaceful mediators and community implementors. And although our job does include enforcing rules, we do it out of the utmost of love and care for them.
I came into residence life with many different expectations that included and primarily focused on making an impact on and for my girls. What I didn't expect, however, was how big of an impact they would make on me. Being a RA has changed my perception of what it looks like to cultivate relationships and implement community in multiple ways. One way is that it is definitely not as simple as it seems, however, the harvest is most certainly worth the hardship. It has been the coolest thing to get to watch my girls grow and work toward reaching their spiritual potential, to watch them develop their own perceptions and beliefs apart from their family, and to watch them become their own person.
It's such an honor to even be able to play a part in that growing process–to be an aid in guidance and to be a part of their story. I've learned that it takes patience, gentleness and kindness to really love my girls well by understanding where they're at and what they're going through, and to fully be able to not always necessarily relate, but to always try to understand. As a RA, I get to try on the shoes of 20 different girls and walk a mile in them just to understand who they are and, even then, if I don't get to connect relationally with some of them as strongly as I'd like to, I still get to let them know that they have someone who loves them and is there for them–that they have someone who can hear them and who wants to hear them.
The emotional, spiritual and even sometimes physical exhaustion that comes from playing multiple different roles for multiple different girls is worth it a million times over just to experience the trust and love, planted by the Spirit, that blooms into a solid friendship with even just one of my residents. RAs want their residents to know that they are so loved. Yes, by us, but ultimately by the creator of the universe, and that all those corky hall events are planned out not because we like making them come to things that they don't want to participate in, but because we genuinely want to hang out with them and develop community. We even enforce seemingly pointless rules and ask them to re-do room checks all because ultimately, there is such a desire to see them achieve their highest potential in all that they do.
To the girls on my hall, you are especially loved, and I am so for you.
