Arriving at Louisiana Tech, I could have never imagined having the job I have now. There have been ups as well as downs, but I would not trade it for the world. Being a Residential Assistant, an RA, can be the most challenging, yet rewarding, job ever. I am here to tell you there so much more to the job than decorating floors, writing work orders, and hosting programs.
As an RA, you can make, break, or shape a student's college experience. Coming into college, some of your residents have friends and some don't, some are easily involved, but there are also those that need an extra push. That's where you come in.
You become:
A parent for those who can't seem to separate their whites from colors because "mom always did it."
A teacher for those who may need a month to find buildings and recognize campus landmarks.
A counselor to those who just failed their first exam or experienced "true love" for the first time.
(Other titles I've had to wear include alarm clock, job finder, English-paper-proof-reader, and my personal favorite, can-you-tell-me-if-you-can-see-my-undies-in-this-dress-fashion-checker.)
The job prepares you for the real world. Sometimes you'll get the sweet "I'll have lunch with you" residents, but you'll also get the "No, leave me alone, stay out of my way" residents as well. This prepares you for what's to come in your pursued field since you learn to work with all types of attitudes. Working with people of all ages, whether it's freshman to seniors, peer coworkers to adult bosses, teaches you everyone has different opinions and sometimes you speak up or sometimes you don't speak at all.
Lastly, one of my favorite areas with having this job is being able to share the love of Christ. Each year I get a new set of residents to come through, all with new stories, new backgrounds, new joys, and new pains. But I am grateful for the opportunity to be a listening board, shoulder to cry on, or prayer warrior for any of my residents. I've learned I may be the lighthouse in someone's storm.
To say the least, this job, along with my co-workers, has allowed me to take on a leadership role as well as learn a lot. Two things that will always stick with me are to help people genuinely because the "I'm just here to make money" phase wears off and that you'll be able to clear a burning building of over 100 people less than three minutes. Through the good, the bad, and ugly, I can't imagine my college year without being an RA. And remember, RAs are superheroes and wizards.
