Dear RA,

You. You are the first person I officially met when I got onto campus on move-in day. You are the one who made that day less stressful when you offered me help getting my things unpacked. You are the one who made me realize that this whole college thing isn’t going to be that bad. You are the one of the people who has contributed in making my first year at this school as awesome as it could be. The funny thing is that I don’t even think you’ve realized how much of a positive impact you have had on my life.

What I should first be saying is thank you. I think the correct phrasing of what I am trying to say is “thank you for doing your job,” but that doesn’t seem right. What I should be really saying is thank you for doing what you love. I can tell that you enjoy everything you do for our section, so I doubt it ever seems like purely a job for you. Thank you for making me feel welcome in the space that I call “home” every day. Thank you for taking the time to make the coolest bulletin boards that makes our section look like we just jumped straight off of HGTV or something like that. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to plan events for our section. These events have brought me and my neighbors closer together, so that means that I wouldn’t have obtained some of my closest friends without you. You helped to create this wonderful community of loving people that my college experience wouldn’t be complete without. Also, thank you for being there for me during those times when I wasn’t having the greatest day. Your advice always seems to work, and your witty humor never fails to cheer me up when I am in a sour mood.

I shouldn’t forget to mention how much you have inspired me to be a better person. The way you are able to care about all 20 of your residents and their lives on top of taking care of yourself and your needs seriously amazes me. Sometimes, I honestly think you must have magic powers or something since you are able to pull so much off with so much ease. In some of the conversations that we have had, I have learned that you can get stressed. You are human, so that is bound to happen. However, you can conquer all with so much strength and power that I would never believe that you have felt stressed in your life before. Your calm demeanor has gotten me through this first year. I am not kidding when I say this. A few times when I have been in total freak-out mode, I have asked myself “What would [insert your name] do?” I know that sounds super ridiculous, but it is true. I have also seen how hard you work to achieve the things that you do, so that has made me attempt to work just as hard so I can be able to achieve almost as much someday. I think that if Marvel decided to make a superhero based on a RA, they would probably take some inspiration from you. That RA superhero would seriously need some kick-butt stress-fighting skills and the other awesome powers that you possess in order to fight whatever villains come his or her way.

Also, I hope you know that you are overall just a wonderful person to be around. I always try to say hi and ask you how you are doing when I see you not because I feel like I should, but because I want to. I enjoy hearing what you have to say about life, whether it is about how our section should have its own reality show, or your opinions on current events happening in the world. I am happy that you share your opinions with me, and I am also grateful that you do take the moment to listen to what I have to say too. I feel as if I can share anything with you (and honestly, you know I will share just about everything with you), and you won’t judge me for what I have to say. I do trust you enough to tell you the things that I probably wouldn’t tell just anyone. I know you aren’t fond of being called the “mom” of our section, so I will say that you are like one of those awesome older sisters. I know you look out for me and the rest of my section mates, and I know I can trust you with just about everything.

You have made a lot of sacrifices to do this job, and I want to ensure you know how grateful I am to have met you and have been able to share this experience with you. Please continue to be as awesome as you are. If you still don’t understand how great of a human you are, I will say it in terms that you may understand better. You are greater than every cat on the planet, and you probably know better than me that there are some pretty rocking cats out there.

Sincerely,

The Other Taylor