GUIDE Mentorship Program Fall 2020- Spring 2021 As a freshman coming in in the middle of the pandemic, I looked for ways to be involve on campus. I had struggle since a everything was done through zoom and being away from family and in a completely different environment made things difficult for me. I started working at the Multicultural Affairs Office as a work study student. Through that job, I met Christopher Stoke and he told me about the GUIDE program. I decided to join since I had nothing else and felt very disconnected from campus. My experience in GUIDE though it was different because of Covid-19, it allowed me to meet people and have a mentor to check up on me, my mental health and my academics. We did online workshops, learning about different resources on campus, figuring out majors and career, resume building, team building and group discussions. I am thankful for Stokes for reaching out to me as a freshman in college and making an impact on such a difficult year of college.
Resident Assistant Fall 2021-Spring 2022 The Resident Assistant role is a good opportunity to meet new people, develop leadership skills, utilize conflict and confrontation skills and help new students smoothly transition into college. Coming into this role as a sophomore who spent most of their freshman year online and had a different first-year experience, I had anxiety navigating this new role on campus. However, as the year progressed I learned so much about myself through my staff, friends and residents. Through this role, I learned how to enforced rules and regulations for the safety of students and the operation of residence hall programs. I developed leadership abilities through active participation and event planning for my residence hall. I learned how to help residents resolve roommate conflicts and give them the tools for healthy confrontation. Lastly, I advised first year students on academic or personal questions and concerns. This first year as a RA taught me so much that I will carry on in my future career and personal life.
Resident Assistant Fall 2022-Spring 2023 My second year as a Resident Assistant (RA) taught me more than I expected. I thought I knew everything at this point and I was really comfortable. I felt like training was a breeze and the feelings of nervousness and anxiety from my first year were nonexistent. However, I had stepped up in a new role as the Resident Assistant for the Go Global Residential Learning Community. This community is composed of International Students and ESL students. I was really excited to work with this community as I love getting to know people from other cultures and places. My second year as RA opened me up to experiences and friendships that I will cherish forever. Through Go Global, I met one of my closest friends, Arsen, who is an international student from Ukraine. Our friendships wouldn't have been possible if I hadn't worked as a RA for Go Global and I'm grateful I had that opportunity. I was able to throw events catered to this community to help students feel at home at UTC and to share from all of the different cultures. I threw events such as potluck, game night, self-care packages for finals, friends-giving and so much more.