I'd never heard of a resident assistant until I started visiting colleges. I'd never seen the job of a resident assistant until I had two of my own in the fall of my first semester. I'd never understood the job of a resident assistant until I became one.
Aside from the obligatory tasks that we learned in summer training, such as filing various reports, checking in with residents and planning events, there are seven things that I personally learned from my first year as an RA.
1. To step out.
I learned to step out of my comfort zone. I learned to step out of my own preferences. I learned to step out of my own perspectives. In many aspects, as an RA we're called and encouraged to step out of the ordinary, stand up for what's right and step into leadership. I learned to step out of my comfort zone of living for myself and out of my preferences in order to live above reproach, striving for leadership. The biggest way I learned to step out was away from my own perspective and into someone else's point of view. Through working with people, listening and genuinely trying to see life from where they were coming from was a huge skill that began to take root.
2. Resilience.
I've heard in other job settings, or in working with people, that flexibility is important. Being able to adapt to changes and "go with the flow" is familiar to me, but I would say that I learned the importance of being resilient this past year as an RA. There were numerous changes and hurdles throughout the year, but through God's grace and the Resident Life Team, we didn't run from situations, but instead worked through them and learned through them. Resilience is when a conflict makes you stronger than before, and I saw that significantly within my RA team.
3. To serve.
The verse of 1 Corinthians 15:58 was given to us during summer training. "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." We're called to serve and since this is a calling, to me, it's part of the work of the Lord. When deciding whether I should initially apply for the RA position, I thought, "Sure, I love people!" Yeah, I thought I loved people, but when I became an RA, I realized I only enjoyed people. Loving people takes some serious work! I learned that truly loving people came from a heart of service, which involved sacrifice. I sacrificed my time late into the nights. I sacrificed my pride within conversations with residents. Service and sacrifice go hand in hand, and start the process of truly loving others.
4. To Have FUN!
RAs are having fun are what attracts their residents to them. It also attracts people to the job and to the college. RAs are people that are noticed by others, and believe me, people see RAs that love serving and having fun. People also can tell which RAs aren't as thrilled about their job. But I learned to have fun, smile more and be goofy!
5. To value my team.
I obviously learned how to work well on a team. But wherever you go, you'll have to learn this, because every team has a different dynamic. You can learn the concepts, such as communication and respect for working within a team, but I'll never have the exact team that I had this past year. I learned how to not just work well with the team, but more importantly, how to value the team. Their value became more and more naturally evident as we went on through the year, learning resilience. I not only learned how to work well with different personalities, but how to value and embrace the differences. I value how we opened up to each other. I value the silly memories. It was bittersweet leaving the team in the spring, more sad than anything, but I suppose that shows just how valuable they became to me.
6. About myself.
I learned more about myself in this first year as an RA than I have in my whole lifetime. I had more of a struggle with myself than with residents. I learned to not be offended too easily when people disagree or if they're unreceptive to my efforts. I learned the power of the tongue and how carefully I must choose my words. Self-care was also a huge growth experience, because you're more effective at helping others if you care for your own well-being. In my interview, I said, "Being an RA is not only an experience that I want, but one that I need." I didn't know what to expect as an RA, but at that time in my life, I knew I needed an experience that would mold me and shape me, and thankfully, God used it mightily in my life.
7. Love community and my school.
The basis of what we do as part of the bigger picture is to be the framework for community. I now love the idea of community. To have a sense of belonging while growing alongside others is something very valuable. In my freshman year, I struggled with enjoying college and wanting to be a part of the community. In the beginning of my role as an RA, everyone on my team wrote a letter to themselves concerning their goals, worries, expectations and hopes for the year. At the end of the school year, we read our letters to see how we had changed and if our goals were met. In my letter, the biggest hope was that, through my time as an RA, I would grow to love Cairn and it was an incredible feeling to know that that had become the case! I learned to appreciate the mission of Cairn and Res Life, and I am so thankful that being an RA has allowed me to meet so many people and grow with them all.
