Photo credit to Jabari McDonald Photography
“Say her name, and people know her.” That’s what UC Irvine students say of Jessica Leal, resident advisor (RA) of freshman residence hall, Viento, in Mesa Court.
Jessica is a fourth year double-major in drama and literary journalism. Coming from the small, agricultural town of Visalia, California in the Central Valley, she moved down to Irvine, California for higher education and a college experience.
Today she takes a seat on the other side of the interview for once, as she answers questions as opposed to asking them.
When asked about being a Campus Celebrity, Jessica humbly admitted that she “did not even believe that [she] was qualified,” but regardless, she agreed to it simply out of her own kindness and lack of ability to say “no” to anyone.
“Who wouldn’t like Jessica?” asks one resident of Viento, “she is such a warm and friendly person.” Another resident adds, “She’s also very popular. She’s always talking to someone or the other.”
Jessica began branching out in her freshman year itself, by joining an environmental club called Habitat for Humanity, but then had to discontinue by her junior year due to scheduling conflicts between classes and meeting times. As she became more and more familiarized with the campus, she worked as a Center Attendant at Mesa, served as a Student Ambassador for UC Irvine, taught as a discussion leader for the University Studies 1 Program, and volunteered as a staffer of the Student Parent Orientation Program (SPOP.)
Apart from all that, this year she continues being an RA of Viento and also works a Campus Representative. As a Campus Representative, she gives campus tours to “any and every kind of person,” expressing her love of meeting new people and personalities. It is reflected even through her choice of majors as well as the theme of her hall, which is “mass media and communication.”
As an RA of Viento, Jessica reveals how the hall has a very special place in her heart. She explains how she met some of her current best friends in Viento as she, herself, lived there her freshman year.
This bond continues through her relationship with her residents, as well. Rather than having a formal type of relationship with them, Jessica is approachable to her residents. Her residents call her “mom,” to which she laughs and responds, “I never expected them to start calling me ‘mom,’ but I’m glad that’s the nickname versus something else.” She admits that this family-like relationship has surpassed all her prior expectations. “At this point, Viento is a family,” she states.
Photo credit to Lenny See Photography
Although Jessica admits that being an RA is a lot of work, she also has said to “find it extremely rewarding” because she gets to “watch [her residents] progress from the very first day, not only academically, but also socially.” She says, “Being an RA has been the best experience of my college career…. Probably even the best experience in my life.”
Coming up just around the corner is graduation, and this is one of Jessica’s last quarters at UC Irvine. To this, she says that her experience thus far has been “really exciting, because not a lot of people get the opportunity to come to college.” She admits to have realized that only when her relatives started saying that they were proud of her. “It caught me off guard to realize that not everyone has had this opportunity, and I’m thankful to my relatives and counselors for helping me reach this goal.”
Now, she asks herself, “What’s next?”
Jessica plans on work for a few years after graduation, but study her GRE and have it ready for when she does apply to graduate school, working to get a degree in higher education and student affairs. “I want to go to New York. I want to see the East coast. I want to just go somewhere opposite of California. It’ll be exciting to experience something new, and see what’s out there,” she says.
Well best of luck to you, Jessica, UC Irvine sure will miss you!