As the new school year begins, new opportunities are available at California Baptist University. A new year opens different avenues for students, and some have stepped into leadership positions on campus.
During the spring 2024 semester, students were encouraged to apply for leadership roles. For sophomores, this was their first opportunity to step into leadership.
One of the positions sophomores applied for is resident adviser (RA), a role that serves as a resource for students.
Whitney Moon, resident director of The Point, said, “[An RA’s] role is to be connectors with other residents on campus. Their job is to be relational with residents but also connect residents with resources they may need.”
RAs undergo a lengthy process to obtain the position, including an application, interview, group interview, and more. Afterward, students find out whether they were selected for the RA position.
Three sophomore RAs shared their experiences. Simmons RA Amelia Ratzlaff, Colony RA Max Clements, and UP RA Aly Kang were confident in their abilities, but they all knew they didn’t need the position to prove themselves.
“I was just convincing myself that I didn’t need the position, but I wanted it. If anything, the Lord was going to provide. The Lord will always provide. It was truly all in God’s will if we received the position,” Ratzlaff said. “We got an email saying, ‘You’re accepted, and here’s where you’re going to be.’ I remember I literally screamed and jumped up and down.”
RAs returned a month early for training in August. Their daily schedule consisted of training seminars, meetings with other area RAs, and bonding with their core group.
UP Women’s RA Aly Kang said, “I’d say it was a fun learning experience. It helped us become closer as a team, get to know one another but also, at the same time, showed us each other’s strengths and weaknesses and how to work best as a team.”
As part of their training, RAs were given real scenarios to practice diffusing situations. Overall, the training prepared them for the challenges they may face.
Since school started, RAs have been using their training daily. They meet with residents, go on duty, conduct rounds, and more to ensure a safe community.
However, the RAs are starting to recognize the need for balance between being students and RAs. Clements, Kang, and Ratzlaff all agreed that finding balance is key.
Colony RA Max Clements shared the difficulties of being an RA while studying architecture. “We had something due on Friday. They assigned it Wednesday morning. I had a class Wednesday, a meeting for Colony, and then I was on duty from 6:30 p.m. to midnight. So I couldn’t do it Wednesday, and I had a super busy schedule Thursday. I pretty much had the end of the night to finish my designs. If this is what the rest of the semester is going to be like, then it is going to be rough… I may pull an all-nighter.”
Balancing academics and the responsibilities of being an RA can be challenging.
“It’s hard to figure out the balance between school and work like any other job. However, because it is a student job on campus, it’s hard to navigate the difference between work and life rather than working a 9-to-5. In this position, even when you’re not on the clock, you can still be called in at a moment’s notice,” Kang said.
RAs are not just resources for other students on campus; they are also students facing the same challenges as their peers.
“I think RAs are often facing similar things that anyone else is facing on campus. You guys are trying to figure out: Who am I? Where do I want to go in my life professionally? What do I believe? Who do I want to be as a believer and as a Christian? How do I want to grow in that?” Moon said. “I think just like any other student, they’re trying to balance both. Their biggest struggle is like any other student.”
The transition from student to RA comes with its difficulties. However, RAs are experiencing the same transition into adulthood as any other student. They have all of college to grow and learn.
Moon added, “I hope that RAs know that we don’t expect you to know everything that you’re going to have to do. We will train you for that, and we are happy to train you for that. We also see this as a guiding position, and you don’t have to get it perfect. In a lot of ways, we [RDs] get to help you push forward.”
