With R.A. applications out and about, it is only fitting that this week’s Campus Celebrity is Larkin Grant ’12! This elephant-loving dancing queen is a Kinesiology major with a Math minor and is graduating this spring! Besides being known for her loud and extremely infectious laugh, she is recognized by many around campus because of her involvement in many different areas of student life. Read on to find out more about Larkin’s experiences with DancePro, being an Oxy Tour Guide, as well as being a First Year R.A.
What do you love about the activities you’re involved in around campus?
“Being a Tour Guide has been a really positive experience, because I get to talk about how much I love Oxy for a full hour! It’s more exciting than you’d imagine! Oxy has been the best school I could ever ask for, so being able to share that experience with others is really exciting! Dance Production has been the most fun thing I’ve done at Oxy. Getting on stage in front of 1600 people and shimmying in a bellydancer costume is one of the most liberating things I’ve ever done in my life. I love the community of Dance Production. You don’t have to be a trained dancer to get involved and have a ton of fun. I think the community is such a positive part of being involved!
What made you want to be an R.A. ?
“I applied to be an R.A. because I really, really love to talk to people! I thought it would be a good way to get to know more people on this campus. Being a first year R.A. the past three years has been so rewarding because it is a great way to help first-years while they are transitioning from high school to college. So far I have met a lot of people, I’ve been the RA for just over 1/5 of the student body!”
What was your favorite R.A. experience so far?
My favorite RA experience was my sophomore year in Stewie. It was my birthday at the very beginning of the semester, and I had been having a really bad year so far. I was taking a nap and one of my residents said there was a problem I had to address downstairs. When I went to the common room, a bunch of my residents and my staff had made a cake and signs for my birthday because they knew I needed some cheering up. I hadn’t really gotten to know the people in Stewie well and it made me feel so accepted into the community! Since becoming an RA, I have met most of my best friends as either residents of mine or fellow staff members. It has opened up a whole new door for me at Oxy, and I feel really at home with the other overly excited and crazy RAs on campus.
What is left on your Oxy bucket list?
I think crashing one of the weekend weddings on campus is definitely a bucket list item for my senior year!
What are your post-graduation wishes?
I will be applying to Physical Therapy school next year, which is my ultimate dream. I love people and I also love exercise. Put it all together and you get my ideal job! I think what’s really great about physical therapy is you get to find out what motivates people, and then do your best to make sure they meet their goals. Helping people meet their goals seems like one of the most rewarding things I could do with my life.
Do you have any advice for future R.A.s?
My advice to future RAs is to definitely take advantage of the awesome community of fellow RAs around you, but don’t lose sight of the things you were involved in before you became an RA. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the job, since you basically live where you work and always want to hang out with all the other awesome RAs! So, make sure you have some time with friends from freshmen year, and you spend a little time each week off campus or away from the job. On the flip side, make sure you are involved in your residence hall. I have met some of my best friends in the world in my building, and I would have missed out on that had I not put in the time to really get to know people.
So what do Larkin’s current residents think of her?
“Larkin is one of the best R.A.s a freshman could ask for!”
“She is caring and hilarious and always there to help you.”
“I love spending time with her and the other R.A.s watching T.V. and rambling at hall spreads”
“I love Larkin, her laugh, and her elephants.”
“I love her because she is always smiling!”
Was Larkin your RA? *Editor’s note – she was mine!! Leave your testimonials and commentary below!
Image credit: Facebook