1. They are some of the best people in the whole world. Seriously, I mean it.

2. They let me be their friend even though I'm "The Scary Upperclassman RA."

3. They feed me all the time. One resident placed buckets near my doorway full with apples and candy. One time a resident gave me a pack of tuna. One time it was homemade sausage balls. Another time, it was pulled pork that a dad had let cook all night long. My residents know that food is one of my love languages.

4. Their different personalities perfectly encapsulate what it is like to live in a dorm. I have athletes, non-athletes, people who excel in school, people who struggle in school, and residents from all walks of life. Yet, my hall pulls together and help each other out when they see a friend struggling.

5. They participate in school activities with me. During the Back to School Bash, they all participated by wearing our team color red and helping with the team cheer. We kind of forgot the words to our cheer but it was OK because we double dabbed at the end. That's the only part that actually mattered.

6. My residents cheer me up when I have a bad day. Most of the time I keep my bad days hidden well, so my residents don't even know that I am having a bad day. It's on those days I come up the stairs after being in class all day and find a group of them sitting in the hallway laughing together. Talk about warm fuzzy feelings in my heart.

7. My residents openly support my love of goats. I get tagged in way more goat videos now on social media than I ever did before being an RA.

8. I love my residents most because they let me encourage them and help them when they are struggling.

I love my residents with all my heart and hope that they know that.