Meet Emery, a first year Community Advisor who goes above and beyond her job description. Since she started her year as a CA, Emery has become a resident favorite. With her door always open to anyone that needs her, residents can’t wait to tell her about their day or ask her opinion on everyday college issues. As a member of Res Ed, TMT, the environmental club, and the sorority Sigma Kappa, Emery is always there to help students get involved.
As a sophomore student living with freshmen, one might question if the small age gap has any effect on her role as a Community Advisor. Emery says that being a year older than her residents “helps me relate to them pretty well, however it is difficult to find a balance between being a friend and being an authority figure.” Her residents would all agree that she is balancing it amazingly. One resident said that her favorite thing about Emery is, “how approachable she is. We all have so much respect for her and the authority she has, but then she can also be a good friend.”
Since Community Advisors live with freshmen and need to be accessible all the time, some would be worried about missing out on normal college life. When asked about this Emery said, “This year being a CA I’ve developed new friendships through staff members, but it’s definitely different not living with my friends and my floor from last year. But I know the friendships that are real are easy to maintain. I don’t feel it [being a CA] makes me miss out on anything, in fact I think it enhances my TCNJ experience.” So if your thinking about being a CA, don’t worry kids, you can do it all.
If you have any question about her popularity, just visit her freshman floor. From all ends of the hallway, you can hear the residents bellowing “Emeryyyy!!!!” every time they pass her room, an unofficial tradition the floor now has. And with every greeting you know you’ll hear her all famous “Hey!” or the residents personal favorite, “Yasss”. Emery excels when it comes to her job as a CA. Not only is she there to keep residents safe, but she’s also there as their friend. And for that, they love her.