Letter to Prospective RAs
My experience and rationale for why I wanted to apply, and ultimately decided to become a Resident Assistant
By Simran Bhalla
Dear Prospective Resident Assistant Applicants,
I am writing this letter to share my experience and rationale for why I wanted to apply, and ultimately decided to become a Resident Assistant (RA).
I want to begin talking to you guys about my RA. She was an awesome role model. Her ability to know exactly what to say and what we needed to hear was invaluable as well as how she was always there when my floormates or myself needed her most.
Our one-on-one conversations shared experiences as a floor. Her continued support and encouragement was vital to helping me find my place here on campus. I am forever grateful to her for being my rock my first year of college.
We had so many fun experiences last year, like getting her ready for her formal, talking to her about our crazy adventures and getting to do fun events like a Christmas social in her room. We loved to do crazy fun things like move our couch to the center of the floor just to meet new people and friends. These fun adventures helped me create a family in my residence hall.
The biggest gift that my RA gave me was the feeling of acceptance.
The biggest gift that my RA gave me was the feeling of acceptance. She made me realize that it is okay to just be me. I realized that being unique and different is actually a positive thing and you make so many more genuine friendships because of it. I never felt like I could not be myself.
She helped me realize that there is a family for me here at Marquette. I was a very family-oriented person back home. So naturally, coming to Marquette I was nervous and unsure. I felt that college would be hard transition for me.
However, I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome and I have to accredit some of this to my RA. She led me to the path of friendships and relationships that will stick with me forever. I am so close with my roommates from last year, have a fun friendship with the Hall Director of Humphrey Hall, and made tons of friends by feeling welcomed and accepted.
While my RA played a role in my desire to apply to be an RA, it was not the only reason. In addition to helping others feel accepted the same way I was, I wanted to showcase my creative side and use it to create a more positive environment here at Marquette.
I loved doing fun crafts and creative projects but coming to college I started to lose the need to use this ability that I have. My passion rekindled when I joined CPC and really got to explore how to use our own unique creative minds in a way that helps bring people together and makes residents feel welcome in their building.
I wanted to see if I can take it a step further and use this to build a community as an RA. I knew it would be a challenge, but I knew that I would gain new skills, such as reflecting more on my personal experiences, becoming more compassionate and considerate of others, an increase awareness of the world around, improved time management skills, respect for others’ ideas and beliefs, which helped me grow in more positive ways.
These are just a few of endless amount of skills that I could never imagine acquiring without accepting the role of being an RA.
If you’re interested in sharing your experiences and helping others to become a part of the Marquette family, checkout the application on Handshake. There, you’ll find the job description and specifics of the role in order to qualify for the position.
Some key things to remember is that you must have a 2.5 cumulative GPA, supply your resume, the required essay and one letter of recommendation from a trusted and valued mentor, supervisor or colleague who can attest to your qualifications for the role.
The application is due January 15that 11:59 p.m. This is truly a great opportunity to pay it forward to future generations of Marquette students and help strengthen our campus communities both inside and outside the residence halls.
Your motivation to be an RA should be based on what positive experiences you’ve had on campus and what helped make yourself or others feel like everyone has a seat at the Marquette family table. Whether it be clubs and groups like CPC, your RA, or even wanting to explore what qualities you have and how to broaden your talents, being an RA will guide you towards a path of success for the rest of your life.
Your own interest and motivation for applying for the position are sure to be different than mine, but just remember that if the reason is positive with a unique, personalized story behind it, your drive to achieve a better community and actually be the difference will help you stand out in the crowd.
Best of luck with your application and remember to be YOUnique.
Always Me,
Simran Bhalla
