Blake Ballard is one of the stellar Resident Assistants in a freshman dorm. RA’s are responsible for keeping the peace between all the studentes living in the dorms, a difficult task, especially with freshmen. Blake does an amazing job dealing with this. I decided to interview Blake to get an inside look at what being an RA entails, as well as his schooling life, some fun facts about him, and his schooling thus far.
What are your hopes and dreams?
“What a hard question. I hope to have a stable position in the future. In this generation, we hope for stability. I think stability and happiness go hand in hand. I am looking forward to being completely independent with the ability to pursue the things that I want to purse, whether that’s moving up in my job, or traveling to another country.”
What is your major?
“Art and Communications double major with minors in Leadership Studies and Marketing.”
What do you want to do after college?
“Find a job. Probably go to graduate school, I have no idea what for, but I know I like school enough to go back for another two years. Maybe I will get an MBA.”
What is your favorite color to create art with and why?
“I enjoy using cool colors, so blue, violet… blue and orange are my favorite pair of complementary colors.”
Who inspires you the most?
“My cat. She just sits around all day. Why can’t I live a life like that? I take a lot of personal inspiration. My friends inspire me just by being around them.”
What is your favorite part of being an RA?
“The staff. I really like the people I work with. Bunch of cool peeps. Free room and board is a plus”
Name one negative about your RA experience?
“Having the responsibility of overseeing a group of freshmen, especially when that group doesn’t know how to control themselves. I am trying to impart some wisdom to them as a sophomore, and having them not listen, it can be frustrating.”
Why DU?
“Three things: 1. Location, proximity to the mountains, my aunt and uncle, as well as the city of Denver 2. Study abroad, I am going to the Netherlands (yay!) in the fall. When I first applied, we were number one in the country in study abroad programs 3. I enjoy the campus, specifically the trees. We have a very pretty campus, and this just made me fall in love with the campus.”