By Carissa Paw

Andre Hall is one of seven residence halls at Pacific Union College and serves as a home for female students throughout the academic year. Andre houses around 170 residents, six of which are resident assistants. I was able to interview Sam Yin, Miranda Halversen, and Jessica Marruffo and learn more about their jobs as RAs and what advice they would give to anyone considering becoming one.

Q&A with Sam Yin

How long have you been an RA for?
I have been an RA for about a year and a couple months.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being an RA?
The most rewarding aspect to me is being able to connect and build relationships with the residents.

How does being an RA help you become a better team player and a better communicator?         
Being an RA helps me communicate with the residents and so it helps me build better communication skills and also helps strengthen my active listening skills. Another important aspect is understanding the residents and being genuine. I believe all these are crucial to becoming a great team player.

How do you balance being an RA and a student at the same time?
It can be difficult to balance a job and school work but I consider the RA position be a good learning experience and so when I do have to do room check or talk to one of the residents I take time and focus on their situation. When I know I’m going to be doing room check, I finish all my homework and projects on time so I will have enough time to talk to the residents. Sometimes I do have to cut room check a little short and when it comes to having conversations, but the residents are understanding. I work on time management and schedule my school work to have enough time when it comes to checking the residents in at night or having important conversations.

What advice would you give to someone who’s thinking of being an RA?
My advice would be to pray about it and be willing to be genuine and understanding when it comes to connecting with residents. Sometimes there will be situations when a resident wants to open up about their problems and talk to you for hours and other times there will be residents who do not even want to talk. One has to be ready for anything. It takes up a lot of time so time management is an important skill to acquire if one does not have it yet. Another piece of advice would be to treat the RA position as not only a job but an opportunity and a great experience.

Q&A with Miranda Halverson

How long have you been an RA for?
I’ve been an RA since this past September.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being an RA?
I think the most rewarding thing about being an RA is watching the girls on your floor slowly open up to you and to each other, and how you can really feel like you become a family. I’ve made so many friendships from being an RA already.

How does being an RA help you become a better team player and a better communicator?
Being an RA, you have other people you work with and lean on for support while you go through struggles and help girls in our dorm go through things. Becoming an RA has really shown me the importance of family, of teamwork, of allowing others to be there for you and help pick you and support you. I have been overwhelmingly blessed by the Andre team we have this year. With communication, I’ve seen myself improve by meeting different types of people on each of the floors. Each person communicates differently, and you have to adjust to them and you want to make them feel comfortable. I think it’s really helped me work on all different communication styles!

How do you balance being an RA and a student at the same time?
I think for balance, I make sure that when I’m in RA mode, I’m fully dedicated to that. I don’t let myself think about school when I’m doing room check or working so that I can be there fully for the girls. But then I also take my free time then very seriously, making sure to focus and plan out my schedule to make time for everything! I have like four planners; I love to plan things out, even though life has a way of making sure things don’t always go as I’ve planned. Still, it puts me at ease.

What advice would you give to someone who’s thinking of being an RA?
My advice would be to pray about it. Being an RA is a form of mission work, you are a leader, a sister, a spiritual mentor for so many different types of people. It takes a lot of time and work to be an RA, but it is probably one of the most rewarding things I have done.

Q&A with Jessica Marruffo

How long have you been an RA for?
This is my first year being an RA.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being an RA?
The most rewarding aspect is being able to interact, get to know, and form relationships with the girls on my floor.

How does being an RA help you become a better team player and a better communicator?
It allows more opportunities for communication in different situations. Being an RA also puts you on a team with other RAs. We are a team and there are many situations in which we must tackle together. This gives you the opportunity to develop skills as a team player.

How do you balance being an RA and a student at the same time?
Balancing school and a job takes a lot of time management. There are some days in which we cannot fit both into a day. This is when teamwork comes into play and we are able to cover each other’s shifts.

What advice would you give to someone who’s thinking of being an RA?
I would tell them to do it! It’s a great experience which broadens perspectives and opportunities.