College Nine Summer Start Resident Aide
University Of California, Santa Cruz
As the College Nine Resident Aide (RA) for the Summer Start program I helped to set, maintain, advocate for, and enforce community standards for 35 first-year international undergraduate students. This included community outreach through nightly "rounds" and regular community events, managing the RA on-call phone once a week, and helping students with lock outs and other resident-hall-related issues. as well as duties specific to the students in the Summer Start program. The Summer Start program was designed to help the increasing number of international matriculating students adjust to the American collegiate culture by providing them with classes, community, and resources the summer before their first year on campus. With this goal in mind, my responsibilities included orienting students to the campus, organizing helpful events and workshops, providing resources, and building community on the floor and with the other summer session UCSC students. This position helped me practice cross-culture communication, gave me a strong understanding of the resources available to students, and a deeper grasp of the specific needs related to international students.