This time of the year many people are making life changes either it being starting new classes or moving into a new place.
Ellen Borhart can relate to this.
After being a Resident Assistant for two years at Rienow and helping her residents adapt to student life at the University of Iowa, Borhart herself made a change and moved from being an RA to living on her own.
“It’s my senior year and with an RA there are a lot of responsibilities,” said Borhart. “You are in charge to make sure that first year students have a great experience and I just wanted to focus on myself this year.”
Borhart decided she wanted to be an RA her sophomore year after relating to her own RA her freshmen year.
“My RA was amazing and she made my first year experience amazing,” said Borhart. “I wanted to make a difference in other first year students like she did for me.”
This being her first year not living in the dorms brings back memories that Borhart misses including the connection that the job brought within the university and the structure support system that she had with the other staff members at Rienow.
Some responsibilities that a Resident Assistant has to endure include working with the central staff, being on duty at night at least once a week, doing rounds around the building, enforcing policies, putting on programs for their residents, and making sure that they are present in the building for the residents if they need help.
With experience as an RA, Borhart hands out advice to anybody that is thinking about doing it.
“The job pays well, but I wouldn’t do it just for the money,” said Borhart. “It is a huge time commitment. It is a 24 hour job and the only time that you aren’t working is when your not there.”
With a new place to call home and leaving her past RA life behind, Borhart truly believes that the job is a great experience and it gave her a greater outlook on college life.
“When I was an RA I was so connected to the university and campus,” said Borhart. “I am going to miss the great people I met while living in Rienow and the fact that I got to work with my best friends.”
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Iowa chapter.