My Remarkable Aid

Lycoming Hall front desk 

Ashley Roberts, a resident assistant on the third floor of Lycoming Hall (The Honors College), is one of the most warm-hearted, welcoming, people you could run into! With brown wavy hair, brown eyes, brown glasses, and a bright smile, you can find the friendly face of Ashley to be a reliable resource on campus if you're met with everyday challenges. At first glance, she seemed intimidating and standoffish. In the pursuit of getting to know her one-on-one, it was like speaking to a long-lost friend that I could talk to about anything. 

After becoming good friends with her RA last year, Ashley found inspiration and was nominated to be an RA. She went through the process of becoming an RA which includes submitting an application, completing two interviews, receiving an email weeks later confirming if she had got the job, and information about placement when she got the job. According to Ashley, res-life does great with assessing your personality and assigning you with staff and a building that will click with you. She enjoys the fact that she was placed in Lycoming Hall because of how quiet and reserved it has been compared to other halls on campus. 

Current Hall Decorations

Board on the 3rd floor of Lyco- College tips.  

Board on 3rd floor of Lyco-Dealing with emotions.

Door to Ashleys room

Before starting her job as an RA, Ashley had to come back two weeks earlier than other students for a week of training that involved presentations, how to do safety checks on rooms, and using resources to solve different problems or incidents residents might go through. Ashley's job consists of compliance training at the start of each semester, desk shifts once a week and every other weekend from 7pm to 10pm or 10pm to 1am, being on call/readily for residents in the building, hall decorations twice a semester, and intentional conversations (also known as one-on-one's) once a semester. The biggest struggle she has had would be being able to balance work, social life, and schoolwork, especially during hall decorations or having to close the building for breaks. Despite the challenges, Ashley finds it manageable.

"All About Me Board" in Ashley's hall from the beginning of fall semester

She genuinely enjoys being an RA and finds it fulfilling. Ashleys favorite part of her job is the relationships built between the staff and residents. "The relationships I have built with this job, I never would have had if I didn't have the opportunity to be an RA," she reminisced. Her favorite personal experiences are her conversations with people. Wanting to pursue a career as a therapist, she gets to hear people's stories and how they grew up, meet many walks of life different from her own, listen to different opinions, and see how people from different parts of the world live together. An impact Ashley makes on her residents is being a listening ear, open, honest, supportive, and giving advice in many ways. A resident once approached Ashley on her way to class to share news with her. 

    "I got a bid for AOK, I'm so excited to start rushing," the resident exclaims.

    Ashley replies "Oh my gosh, that's awesome! I'm so happy for you, you're going to have to tell me everything you can about it."

    "I will, I'm so excited!" replied the resident. 

    "Yeah, I bet! make sure to stay on top of your work though." replied Ashley. 

    "I surely will, my parents would kill me if I didn't." the resident states. 

    Ashley replies "Mine would too, but that's awesome and I'm so happy for you! I have to go to class, but I'll see you later!"

   

Previously, Ashley was planning to discontinue her RA position. This year has changed her perspective, and she will do it again next year because she really enjoys it. Having this position has made her more involved in the community and resourceful, leaving a mark during her time here in Bloomsburg. A word of encouragement Ashley has to those who want to do the same would be to "Give it your all, be open minded, and don't be afraid to fail or make mistakes because you will grow from it. If I could go back to freshman year with the knowledge I have now, I probably would have applied to be an RA faster. I waited until the last minute and doubted that I would be good enough. If you question yourself, go for it because it is rewarding, and you could always change your mind if you don't like it. It is the best thing I could've done!"