When coming to college, it’s important to build a community and family away from home. For many, including 5-year MBA student Tim Allen, that family is found in Campus Life.
Originally from Romney, West Virginia, Allen jumped into the job his sophomore year.
“Campus Life is the opportunity of a lifetime that gives you the chance to change people’s lives,” Allen says. “Life is full of all sorts of people, and living and guiding so many unique individuals has certainly given me a head start in life.”
Allen knows plenty about meeting different types of people. He is involved in nearly every type of activity on campus, including Student Senate, Enactus and Collegiate 4-H. He is vice president of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity and is currently an RA in Dunn Hall. Allen says he came to Wesleyan because it’s home to a well-respected School of Business and a nationally-recognized music program, both of which he was eager to be a part of. Campus Life was only a plus.
“I joined Campus Life during my sophomore year because I love meeting and working with new people, and I wanted to help students have an exciting and fulfilling college experience,” Allen says. “As a third-year RA, I love seeing how well some of my past residents have done in school, sports and in almost every organization across campus!”
Despite all of the benefits and leadership gained by being a member of Campus Life, challenges do come along with it. Besides writing incident reports, solving roommate conflicts, answering calls from sick students at all hours of the night and going through intense training every summer, RAs also have to face another obstacle: pleasing their residents.
“It’s very tough coming up with programs that lots of people will enjoy,” Allen says. “Some juniors and seniors may still remember one of my programs where over 100 students made s’mores in the middle of the quad.”
Pleasing others is never easy, but Allen has gotten it down to a science. Being in charge of a group of students for three years is a true testament to his ability to get along with others and be a leader, something that he hopes to be able to continue after leaving Wesleyan. Helping others and changing lives is something that is important to Allen, both now in his position and, hopefully, in the future as well.
“I still don’t know for sure what my first steps will be, but my dream is to travel the world while being paid for the changes I make wherever I go,” Allen says. “What I do know, though, is that I’ll miss all of the friends I’ve made, because I’ll never be in a place near so many of my peers for the rest of my life.”
For Allen, those friends and peers have become more like family through the Campus Life program. It’s a family that has formed a bond and will remain close to Allen for a very, very long time.