Notes

When I first become a CA, I didn't really know what to expect out of my position in Fletcher Hall. I also didn't realize how involved I would become within this department within 2.5 years time. My time here has consisted of learning about different types of student environments in our residence halls and trying to find ways to conquer each sector of space to create the best community spaces possible. When working to first accomplish these tasks, I realized that my first semester of CA work required window shopping. My second semester was all about putting the window shopping pieces of 'clothing' I liked and making an outfit out of the 'ResLife' tools I thought I best needed in order to make community spaces the best possible environments for residents to live in. This is when the magic started happening and was when I first realized I wanted to take on the challenge of an apartment-styled community (especially in Horizon Village of conquering a closed-door community). When I was not presented with this opportunity before starting year two as a CA, I was given my own wing in Fletcher Hall to utilize as an 'experiment' to see how I could best take-down a closed-door community in Fletcher Hall (detailed more in my letter of recommendation). I worked hard to find different ways to bring my residents together, including weekly visitations to resident rooms, all 84 residents on my floor, events geared toward resident desires and needs, and more.

This year, the game changed as I got to combat a new style of community with FVTC Students. Experiencing these style of residents was much different than in years past, allowing me the ability to work with students that didn't exactly go to a four-year institution, like myself, didn't have similar lifestyles to me, didn't know campus like I have, etc.. The point of this section is mainly to indicate I like challenge. I like challenge and I like the thrill of building community in new and different constructs. It is not easy to build a community without the essential tools, but with time, patience, and lots of practice, you can create something unimaginably amazing. I want to crack the closed-door stigma behind apartment-styled living to the best of my ability while working with current staff members to meet their goals and aspirations in their building.


Throughout my past two years as a CA, there's a lot of things you learn about the progression of a CA and how our careers form. There are needs that need to be met of our 'new' CAs as 'returning' CAs have different things they need to continue developing/learn to become better at their jobs. When it comes to Horizon Village, staff members need to be ready to work with semi-experienced/experienced CAs that have been aware of job description and functions for years. Performing job expectations is one thing I can do successfully, but the real skill I possess is adapting to the needs of a staff team and delivering in areas where most beneficial.
At the beginning of the year in SGH, I was known for being a leader, without question. I took this time to let our new staff members drive the 'SGH train' and make their mark on our building, and lead with initiative. Long story short, our staff members did not execute and needed someone to help guide them along the 'SGH train tracks'. So, I was able to step back into a leadership role and provide essential tools needed for our staff to function (for example, leading/advising our Glow Party team where needed). My role is becoming satisfied in SGH with developing staff members that can use the time now to catch onto essential skills, and eventually train a new staff member moving into SGH. The need for an experienced CA is currently awaiting in Horizon Village. On a small staff in Horizon Village, there will be gaps needed to cover for our old staff member. When that time comes, I will not fail in executing tasks needed by Horizon Village hall staff.

Secondly, learning residents has become a specialty of mine. Whether it's being blunt and having the ability to 'curse' in front of residents as a 'professional figure' or if it means watching gossip girl drama with another resident to get the time to talk with them, or even going door-to-door with other staff members to learn how to become better acquainted with them: these are the things I like to do to become the most versatile player on a staff team. I like to be adaptable when it comes to working with other team members and subordinates. Whatever I have to do to learn my residents and hall staff members (within ethical reason), I will do to make our communities better on this campus. When needed, I pertain the skills necessary to execute and become adaptable within a community.



As highlighted in question #5, I think there are several challenges that can be seen as a Duty CA in Horizon Village and as a potential staff member with experience in community development with the first being an obvious 'closed door stigma'. With closed doors, come a lack in communication in Horizon Village suits. breaking past not only one, but two residence hall doors is the first building block to creating an awesome community. Horizon Village is also a trickier, yet more intricate floor to program for. When working on programs, your programs need to attack a larger, more wide audience of residents to create a cost-effective residence life staffing unit and maximize the amount of attendees showing up to events, creating for the best community development possible.

In order to combat these challenges, I have several ideas as to how I would go about with these things. In thought of all of my ideas, it is MOST important to consider the current horizon village hall staff to coincide with their current thoughts and motions to combating challenges. If you are a staff member that won't work well in a team-setting, you are hurting a small-sized staff as is. A staff member can not solely act as an individual to make an entire building a great community. In my own thoughts and details, I would want to bring back my idea of making floor 'themes' to each floor of Horizon Village, decorating the hall with something fun that can be decorative for Horizon Village, allowing residents 'traveling' ability to look on other floors for different themes. (Example: Super Heroes/Villans (Batman Floor, Superman Floor, Joker Floor, Captain America Floor, Green Goblin Floor, etc...). I would utilize the first weeks of my time on staff to create my puzzle pieces necessary to learn my residents, their desires, and the best ways to put them together with other residents in the building to make a successful floor (what I did my second year as a CA in Fletcher). Please ask me more if you would like to learn additional ways I would combat challenges.



Please see my email sent on 11/12/19 detailing my detailed desires to apply into this position. Attached are two letters of recommendation for my entry as a staff member into Horizon Village. This has been a community of mine I really want to try and compete with to make a better place. I like the environment and I think upperclassmen are a great challenge to build a community with. Please feel free to reach out if you would like to chat about this in person! I know this is a competitive position, but I always want what is best for our residence halls as a member of this department trying to meet our mission statement.