The fall semester of 2020 was an unprecedented one, much like 2020 as a whole. Despite the challenges that unquestionably came about, many positives resulted from this period. More specifically, I had the opportunity to engage in a course through my position as a Resident Advisor titled Internship PD and Reflection. This was a professional course that allowed students to actively understand and reflect on the professional outcomes of the roles they were engaged in. This course was led by Kelly Thompson through the Division of Experience-Based Learning and Career Education. Through this course, students were responsible for goal setting, learning of ways to promote success personally and professionally, and cross-cutting skills – skills that are transferable from the Resident Advisor role to other professions. Not only this, but students were also coached on skills such as elevator pitching, professional storytelling, and how to actively accomplish goals.
Above all things to come from this experience, an opportunity that stands out most was the opportunity to serve as the student voice for the Department of Resident Education and Development in which the Resident Advisor role is housed in. By serving as the student’s voice, I was granted a one-on-one interview with Professor Thompson to discuss the course. This was a very honest conversation where I was able to collectively speak on behalf of my peers and myself of the benefits of the course and improvements that could be made as well.
Attached below is a document that was completed during the course intended to help students identify cross-cutting skills present in the Resident Advisor role. In completing this activity, students became equipped to speak about the Resident Advisor role on their resumes and in an interview.