Dear Resident,
Welcome to Florida International University. Or should I say, Welcome to Lakeview South. I am so excited to be your Resident Assistant (RA) for the upcoming school year.
But wait... What does an RA even do besides enforce the rules and rat on you for your parties?
I can guarantee that that is the biggest misconception about my job. As your RA, I'm here to comfort you, assist you, guide you, keep you safe, and enforce the rules. Yes, it is my job to "enforce the rules."
Another huge misconception is that college does not have rules. As a freshman, I had no idea rules would have to be enforced. Why do rules have to be enforced if the whole point of being away is to have freedom? Doesn't being on your own mean that no one should be in charge of you?
But that's the thing. I'm not necessarily in charge of you, I'm in charge of making sure you're safe, comfortable, and happy. I'm in charge of being your tour guide when you forget how to get to class. I'm in charge of being your therapist at 2pm or 2am. I'm in charge of telling you to lower the music when it's passed quiet hours. I'm in charge of making sure you know that toasters aren't allowed but toaster ovens are. I'm in charge of everything and anything regarding your residential stay here at FIU. And I couldn't be more happy to be that 2PM/2AM therapist, "rule enforcer," and friend.
At the same time, you may be hesitant to let me be all of those things. You may be hesitant to come to me when you feel homesick or feel stressed. And that is okay. It is normal and okay to feel nervous or "weird" about coming to me. But I promise, it's OK and normal. I promise that when you're ready, I will still be here. In fact, I get PAID to be your guide and friend. In my opinion, I have the coolest job in the world.
So to my resident, thank you for being here and choosing to live on
campus. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to practice my job each
day and better myself as a person. I can't wait for what this year has
to come and I look forward to the upcoming laughs, football games, Fresh
Food dates, vent sessions, Fresh Food dates, and much much more. Thank
you for giving me the opportunity to love my job... Here's to an amazing
Freshman Year!
P.S. I'm always, always, always here. You're never alone.
-Your Resident Assistant
