Do you remember how long it took until you were fully adjusted to your freshman year of college? Sure, there were people everywhere, dozens of new student activities, and adventures in your residence hall, but it probably took some time before you could call your new floor mates your best friends.
For Laura Sahd, a freshman, that transition came easily. Laura may still be adapting to life as a college student, but because she took initiative to get to know her floor without any hesitation, Laura inspired her resident assistant to nominate her for Resident of the Month, and, out of all residents living on campus, Laura was honored with this title.
With so many undergraduates living on campus, it’s a unique accomplishment to be able to call yourself “resident of the month”, as there are certainly a multitude of qualified contenders. Laura’s terrific attitude stood out among all other nominated participants, and she is proud of this award.
“It was really nice, as a freshman, to receive the award out of all of the other residents on campus”, Laura says. “I got an email that notified me that I had gotten the resident of the month award, and it came as a total surprise. I had no idea my R.A. had nominated me. To be honest, I didn’t even know there was such a thing!”
Laura, who is majoring in dietetics and minoring in dance, tries to make time for what’s most important. With a demanding schedule that is comprised primarily of science work and at least five hours of dance practice a week in preparation for the fast-approaching Dance Minor Faculty concert this week, she’s very active around campus. Still, she is always there for her friends and her floor mates. That positive attitude and understanding of friendship caught the attention of her resident assistant enough for her to nominate Laura for the award.
“When I got the news, I thought it was incredibly nice that my R.A. took it upon herself to nominate me!” Laura said with a smile.
Her R.A., Lauren, explained in her written nomination of Laura for this honor that many residents do not take the initiative during their freshman year that Laura did to make everyone more comfortable. Laura, she said, was able to bring a “piece of her hometown” to her floor which was a perfect way for the floor to get to know each other. Her idea? Floor Olympics.
“At my high school,” Laura says, “We would do mock Olympic Games and challenges and the winners of those games would score points for their teams. I thought it would be an awesome floor bonding experience for us as freshman residents, and would definitely be a helpful way to bring us all closer together”.
Laura’s idea was a hit! The floor was split into two teams and played games including “Assassin” and “Splitter Points” among others. During “assassin”, each resident was assigned another resident on the floor who they were responsible for and, using a spoon, would silently seek out their target, eliminate them from the game, and in turn would receive that person’s target. The game became very intense as more residents were eliminated from the competition until it came down to the final two left standing.
During “splitter points”, residents scored points simply by walking through a couple holding hands or two people walking very close together. It was a really fun and simple way for everyone to bond.
Laura’s resourcefulness and positivity was rewarded when she received word of her award. “It was cool to see my name up on the school website,” she says. “I even received a certificate, which made the award seem even more special”.
This has been one of her proudest moments as a UD freshman so far. “I’m definitely going to stay active on campus, and this award just gives me extra incentive to keep up my hard work and positive outlook”.
It’s terrific when something gets paid forward, and in Laura’s case, the positive attitude she began the school year with caused a chain reaction of other happy residents. The standard of positivity that Laura abides by reflects the overall outlook here at UD: it seems wherever you are on campus there are people in a great mood.