RA Danny
Quick Favorites:
Color - Green
Animal - Cows!
Ice Cream - Ben n Jerry’s Vegan Change the Whirld
Off Campus Spot - Bird Key
On Campus Spot - Library Balcony
Band - My Chemical Romance
Album - The Maybe Man
Movie - Pan’s Labyrinth
Book Series - The Books of Umber
Resume
Film, film, and more film! This resume has been curated and looked over with career services to be the best it can be for internship season this summer.
But Who Am I Really?
Born and raised in Shelton, ConnecticutI love adventuring and exploring. Being outdoors is one of my favorite things. I am a volunteer firefighter, play guitar, skate and snowboard, and love rock climbing.
I work at Ringling’s soundstages as well as Street Team, doing the school’s social media. This is perfect, as I want to combine both film and social media passions for a summer internship at Smosh, a comedy Youtube channel.
My Experience As An RA Has Been…
Enlightening
I learned a lot about myself and others through the process of being a Resident Assistant. I’ve found a lot of chances for growth, not only personal but through relationships with co-RAs, peers, and otherwise. I have learned a lot through training, talking to other RAs, and actual experience. I have found myself to be more confident talking to others and making my voice heard, while also improving my active listening skills.
Encouraging
I have found a lot of support through Reslife and other RAs. This job is not for everyone, and I was nervous going into it, but through one-on-ones with both supervisors, and all prostaff, as well as advice from senior RAs, I have found myself pushing my limits more and more and discovering that I can accomplish much more than I previously thought.
Surprising
Coming into this position, I really did not expect to get caught so off guard. I’ve always viewed myself as someone who is prepared for a lot, but there have been many situations that I have come across that are entirely new to me. They keep me on my toes, and help me keep an open mind. I have learned a lot about not having a fixed mindset, because it seems that I discover something new each and every day.
Highlights
Events
Little Jackbox of Horrors
In Goldstein, RA Daniel and I did a dress-up Halloween event where we played Jackbox with our residents. It was very fun, and the people that did show up dressed up. This is where I learned how important marketing is.
Rock Painting
As a way to welcome the residents back to Goldstein 4th floor after Winter Break, RA Daniel and I did a rock painting event. It was an incredible success, and we had a great turnout, especially for upperclassmen. It is a personal favorite of mine, as we had the supplies long enough that we had decorated rocks around our floor for the rest of the semester.
Welcome Event and Magnet Making
To start the semester, the four house RAs had our meeting in the Academic Center Auditorium and residents also made magnets. I am so incredibly proud of this event, as we had an absolutely massive turnout even more than RA Daniel and I would get in traditional dorm style housing. From everything I have heard, this is the largest House turnout in memory!
Yard Swap
In September, the houses organized a “yard swap” for residents by request. In Scott Plaza, residents claimed tables to swap our their old items and clean their houses. We may do it again at the end of Spring Semester as a way to do Spring Cleaning for move out, and that this will create a larger turnout.
Elixer Extravaganza
Located in the old Outtakes Cafe, the houses staff hosted a potion making event around the time of Halloween. It was a good time, and people showed up in costumes to have mocktails. Students were also playing music in the location we rented, but it did not conflict too much, and they scanned the Ringlink if they made drinks as well.
First House Staff To Get 100% On Meaningful Conversations Ever!!
Flyers From Last Year
Flyers From This Year
Sociogram Activity
Supportive Staff Relationships
Noa, Ice, and Samael
My three Co-RAs and I have gotten along quite well this semester. It is a nice balance of returner and new RAs, and it makes for good experience meeting new perspectives. A notable mention is RA Noa, as we now live right next to each other, and I personally see him more than I see my other RAs. He is incredibly dedicated and his effort is quite frankly inspiring to me.
Daniel
Daniel was my first Co-RA, so we did a lot of learning together last year when we were roommates. A lot of my process and approaches to the position come from what he and I discovered last year, and we still talk and support each other, even considering being Co-RAs again. He and I work very well together, even though we are not in the same area. We have also known each other since Freshman year, so it is a very strong relationship
Riley
RA Riley, has been a great support to me, as our relationship also began Freshman year. Even though she will not be an RA this upcoming semester, she is still a good support system and we understand each other and how to help build the other up during the stresses of this job very well.
Goldstein 23-24
The Goldstein team from my first year as an RA was incredibly strong, consisting of RAs Cecilia, Sam, Ivy, Keily, Athena, Riley, Daniel, and myself. We still help each other when needed, and all have a very close and trusting relationship that we use to foster positive relationships. RA Cecilia is incredibly helpful, as she has lots of experience being a precollege RA and LEAP member, so she is very trustworthy and responsible.
2023-2024 Emerging Service Leader Award
Challenges
A big challenge I encountered last year was a roommate disagreement between to female-presenting residents over feminine hygiene and personal care. I felt very out of my comfort zone. To combat this, RA Daniel and I called in RA Cecilia to help. We worked with her throughout the mediation to make the residents feel comfortable, and this also allowed me to build my confidence and knowledge of situations that I was not used to.
I have always been with upper classmen, so I already knew the challenges of resident interactions, but houses took that challenge and made it much larger. The spread out community makes residents much less likely to interact with each other, or even come to events. This sense of independence is common in upperclassmen, but multiplied in houses. I have done lots of door knocks to help improve this, notably before events, and on major days, such as following the hurricanes and election day. This allows me to check in mentally on residents and make sure they are doing okay. I would like to do this more often next semester, as it has proved helpful.
Plans For The Future
Going forward into the Spring semester, we have a few activities planned. As previously mentioned, the “yard swap” event will most likely repeat so that residents, especially seniors, have a way to clean out their houses before moving out. Additionally, a March Madness basketball tournament for the whole campus is being planned, as this was part of my original pitch to joining houses and making a new event with the multi-purpose court. I stay motivated through plans like this, I hate leaving things unfinished. When I get tired, I make sure that I do not burn myself out by playing music and letting my mind go blank, then I get back to work. I understand self-care, and a work-life balance. Being an art-student comes with an imaginative mind, and this imagination of what certain events could be like if done right, or how a community could be shaped to be more connected is really what drives me to keep going.
As for next year, I am hoping to stay in houses (although switch to the Guilford Lane RA House). I knew that I enjoyed working with upperclassmen after living on the second floor of Goldstein, but I really feel that I have found my stride this year. I want to work on my abilities as a returner RA to teach new RAs, and step into more of a leadership role, and I think that could be achieved best through an area that I am already familiar with. I see RAs such as Braden, and I really look up to them. As a senior RA, I want to showcase what I have learned in houses, so that next year’s team can break more records than this years. Finally, many house residents stay in houses for more than one year, so I feel that having a familiar face would make them more comfortable and continue a strong community into next year.
As A Senior RA
I know that hiring a third year RA as a Senior comes with its complications, namely thesis, and getting “comfortable” in the position. In regards to thesis, I think there is a bit of a misconception when it comes to film thesis. From Freshman Year, students are allowed to crew on thesis, films, and that is what I have been doing since September 2022. So for the past three years, I have been doing thesis film sets on weekends, as well as my own. That workload is not new to me, and I always make it work. In fact, that go-get it attitude and team player spirit is really something that I think I bring to the table as an RA. I work hard to help where I can, even if it is on a senior set as a freshman. When school required sets happen on weekends that reslife events occur, I always make it up. This year for example, I did two tasks (fish philosophy and instagram video) to make up for the missed weekend, despite only required to do one. I try to go as above and beyond as I can, and I honestly cannot see thesis changing that, as it will not be a big step up for me.
Reslife is an incredibly important to me, and I want to be an RA going forward. I have learned that I really love the position, and feel a lot of empathy in the role. I always did community outreach through high school, working with the Shelton Youth Service Bureau doing local events and teaching health classes to all grades, and I believe that this really shaped me and prepared me for this role. I have a deep respect for others, and want to continue doing my best not just to be there for residents, but also learn from them and their experiences. I think I can bring this empathetic and hard-working energy to Reslife once again, but I also think that Reslife is good for me to broaden my horizons and learn to open my mind even more.
P.S. I am not really part of a club so I do not have much in the way of posters, but if you would like to see any of my photos, they are on this site. The poster for the film “Paranoia Everlasting” was made by RA Daniel : )
