Resident Advisors have the opportunity to impact their dorm community in numerous ways, especially at Biola, where many seek students to ground themselves in faith-based community. Upcoming RAs received acceptance letters this past week, allowing for a time of anticipation for future RAs, and a time of reflection for current RAs.

SOPHOMORE PSYCHOLOGY MAJOR AIDYN WOOLEY: FUTURE RA IN STEWART

Q: What hopes do you have for this position?

A: “I anticipate a lot of good and fun things, as well as a lot of hard and growing times, because I think that’s what real life is and that’s what happens when you’re in college and you’re outside of your comfort zone.”

Q: What fears do you have?

A: “I have lots of friends who are currently RAs, and I know it can be a lot of pressure and a lot of responsibility, and I think being able to balance those expectations as well as my own vision for the floor and what I [want to] bring to the dorm.”

Q: What do you hope to walk away with?

A: “I really just want to be involved in the community that I’ve benefited so much from, and I hope to grow as a leader.”

SOPHOMORE CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES MAJOR MALIA LIRA: CURRENT RA IN HOPE NORTH

Q: What hopes did you have for this position?

A: “[To] have a reason to be friends with people, and I felt like that role would give me the freedom to seek people out who I normally wouldn’t get to.”

Q: What fears did you have?

A: “I’m the youngest person on my staff, and so that was one of the biggest fears of mine—just not being taken seriously and having that be something that would get in the way of my role as a leader in the hall.”

Q: What do you feel looking back on those hopes or fears?

A: “I feel like they were definitely valid, but I think—like especially the fears—that wasn’t something that I should’ve been afraid of at all.”

Q: What advice do you have for future RAs?

A: “To not be afraid to dream big for their floor, but also to be realistic.”

SOPHOMORE BUSINESS MARKETING MAJOR CARLY MICHEAL: CURRENT RA IN SOUTH HORTON

Q: What hopes did you have for this position?

A: “I think I anticipated to have a lot more energy… than I did… [It’s] just a lot more work than you’d expect.”

Q: What fears did you have?

A: “I think just feeling like I would be inadequate for this job, or that I wouldn’t do something right, or that the girls wouldn’t like me.”

Q: What do you feel looking back on those hopes or fears?

A: “[It’s] humbled me in a lot of ways, because it’s shown me all the ways that I fail and mess up and don’t meet expectations of people, and I’ve learned to be more okay with that. Which is really good, because criticism is hard, and feeling like you’re not doing enough is hard.”

Q: What advice do you have for future RAs?

A: “The best advice I could give is just take each day as it comes… [This] is your one year of being an RA, so just enjoy that and embrace it and use it to its full capacity.”