My McConnell experience

Community – when people hear that word, what do they think of? Maybe friends, family and loved ones. Personally, I think of the time I spend with my residents in McConnell Hall.

10 months ago, I signed up to become a Resident Assistant (RA) in the residence halls on campus. I assumed I would be put in the Theophilus Tower or even the Wallace Residence Center, but McConnell was the last place I expected to be placed.

In training I was nervous about the future. Would my residents like me?

Back in August during training, they told us we needed to interact with our residents and create a safe community for them to live in. I don’t think I really realized what that truly meant until recently.

These past few months of being an RA have been crazy between making sure to talk to all of my residents, planning events and making deadlines between it all. One thing has been consistent –my residents.

I joined such a unique community when I accepted the job of being an RA in McConnell. Little did I know it would have such a big impact on me.

Community is everything in the residence halls. Every day they support each other, they live life to the fullest and spend time with each other. Every day they inspire me.

When I’m not in class or on the third floor of the Bruce Pitman Center, people usually find me in the first floor lounge of McConnell. I’m working on homework or better yet, spending time with my residents. Between sessions of “Uno Attack” to yelling at a projector screen over “Mario Kart” – I wouldn’t have it any other way.

But, it isn’t just the small moments, we’ve had events in the residence halls such as a Bob Ross Paint Night and even Karaoke Night. Those moments spent in my community I will treasure the most.

Sure, I may feel a bit sappy over this column, but that is because I graduate this spring. I have been thinking about the future of my life after graduation, but I’ve also been reflecting on how lucky I’ve been my senior year to meet such inspirational people.

I have lived in the residence halls all four years of my college career and I have never experienced something like this before. I’ve experienced bad roommates, created friendships that will last a lifetime, but I’m also proud to say I’ve experienced building a community.

To be honest, I was looking at statistics online to be more convincing about how community impacts residents. But as I wrote this column sitting in the lounge, I looked around myself to see my residents smiling and laughing. When I edited this, they were screaming over who will win this intense “Mario Kart” race.

That’s what I see every night.

All I do is feel content to my core. I’m content with where I was placed and blessed to have met these humans.

Freshman, sophomores, whoever you are, be sure to come to your RAs events. And if you don’t want to, simply open your door, walk to the main lounge & socialize. You’ll be pleasantly surprised about the people you’ll meet and the connections you will build.

It isn’t just one sided though, RAs need to make the effort too. Don’t worry, your residents won’t bite. And you will feel great after making the effort to spend time with them.

I never thought becoming an RA would impact me this much – or the people. Everyone should experience what I have in McConnell – a community. This community is the most important part of living in the residence halls.

When I come home to McConnell from a long day of class or stress, my residents are there to pick me up and vice versa. Community makes the residence halls more than a building you’re sleeping in; it makes it a home. And my residents became my home this year. I’m so grateful for that.

Lindsay Trombly can be reached at [email protected]