By Sophia Raspanti
What’s it like to be a Resident Advisor? I decided to talk to Victoria Wlosok, an RA at Horton Residence Hall, to find out.
Victoria Wlosok is a junior at Chapel Hill, with a double major in English and Business and a minor in creative writing. Victoria is also a published author and an active member of the Carolina community: in other words, she does it all! This fall semester marks Victoria’s third semester working as a Resident Advisor in Horton, and she has enjoyed being a resource and friendly face for her first-year residents. One of her favorite aspects of working with first-year students is watching her residents grow and thrive as they embark on their journey as college students.
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8:55am
After a night on duty, Victoria returns the “on-call” phone to the community desk before beginning her homework and attending her classes. The Resident Advisor on-duty rotates, so on mornings when the phone doesn’t need to be returned, Victoria catches up on sleep before heading to class.
At the beginning of each month, she sends out an email to her residents filled with reminders about on-campus events, programs, and important information. This December, the e-mail is filled with reminders for the end of the semester, encouragement for finals, and of course, congratulations on making it through the first semester at Carolina.
3:00pm
After a long day of classes, Victoria returns to Horton. On the bus ride back from north campus, she runs into a few of her residents, and they catch up. After arriving back at Horton, it’s time to create a new bulletin board: this one will be winter-themed! As she works, she keeps an eye on the floor group chat to answer any questions or concerns and says hello as her residents stop by.
4:30pm
Every other Monday, Victoria meets with her Community Director to check in and address any resident concerns. After the meeting with her Community Director, Victoria heads to a community government meeting, where she serves as a Resident Advisor Liaison. There are three RA Liaisons on Victoria’s team, so they often rotate weekly attendance to the meetings. As an RA Liaison, Victoria works with the community government team to create a variety of fun programs that residents can enjoy.
6:30pm
After the meeting ends at 6:30, Victoria often eats dinner before returning for the weekly staff meeting, which is held on Monday nights at 7:30pm.
Victoria isn’t on duty tonight, so she enjoys the rest of her evening off. Before heading to bed, she decides to work on a flyer she’s been designing for a new program, “Study With Me”, which she plans to print in Davis the next day. For now, the halls are quiet.