Teaching and Resident Assistant
Company: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Resident Assistant
August 2019- July 2020
As a resident assistant I was in charge of the safety and wellbeing of approximately 50 residents. Through this role I helped build a community in the dormitory and connected with my residents to ensure that they felt a part of the campus community. Part of being a resident assistant is putting on programs for the residents that are both fun and enriching. Examples of my programs included playing Mario Kart with drunk driving goggles to simulate impaired driving and organizing a trip to the local curling club.
Being a resident assistant required strong leadership and communication skills that were honed through on the job experience and many days of extensive training sessions. I regularly touched base with all of my residents to ensure that they were enjoying their college experience and would help counsel them or direct them to other resources when necessary.
Another responsibility of being a resident assistant is taking turns being on call when the residents require additional help. Most of the time this entailed handling a missing key or a noise complaint. However, in my time as an RA I was unfortunately tasked with an intense crisis situation involving the safety of one of my residents. This situation required me to stay calm under pressure, display leadership to keep the situation under control and others composed, and know when to escalate the situation to those higher in command. My handling of this situation played a large role in my selection as the winner of the Outstanding RA Award for the Fall 2019 semester.
Finally, as a resident assistant I was responsible for keeping the dormitory up to shape. I performed regular room inspection and building checks to verify that there were no safety hazards present and that shared spaces were clean and in working condition. I was also tasked with using my admittedly minimal arts and crafts skills to decorate my floor in a fun and welcoming manner for all residents. Overall, being a resident assistant allowed me to further develop my interpersonal and leadership skills through helping to run an entire dormitory and regularly interacting with my residents in a variety of situations.
Teaching Assistant
September 2019- December 2020
During my time at RPI I was a teaching assistant for three courses: Organic Chemistry 1, Organic Chemistry 2, and Human Physiology. In this role I helped tutor and mentor students in these topics and helped grade exams and coursework. I also ran the online lab and wrote exams for the Human Physiology course. Helping to teach these topics to others furthered my understanding of them and enhanced my communication skills.
