What a wonderful job. I thought I knew everything about being an RA. And even though it was very helpful to watch it firsthand before I jumped into it, there was still so much I learned! I'm sure this won't cover everything, but I'll do my best.
First of all, I could not have asked for a better associate group. You know the saying that everything happens for a reason? Well that definitely rang true this year. Out of all the RAs in Heritage, we were definitely the best. And we knew it. We had a blast and got along so well. I learned so much from each of them and know that I wouldn't have been happier anywhere else. We were together
all the time and we still managed to love each other haha!
We hit it off so well from day one when we got nice and cozy in the van and rocked out to Call Me Maybe and NSYNC. That first week of training was some great bonding time and built the foundation for the rest of the year. Maybe I'm making it seem way more glamorous than it really was, but I really feel this way! They made a huge difference in my life, and I hope they feel the same!
Andrew is one of the most outgoing people I've ever met. I remember when I first met him, I couldn't stop thinking, "wow, he really knows
everyone!" He is hilarious and is always cracking jokes or trying to be funny. And I laugh at pretty much everything so it wasn't hard for him to get me to smile. He is so happy go lucky and is really goal oriented and just enjoys talking to people. He's good at listening and has an amazing testimony. And how can we forget his healthy eating habits and how he adds to his wonderful physique by working out on a daily basis. Everyone knows about Andrew's biceps haha! He was always ready with a smile and a hand shake or high five. He is awesome!
David was my official seat buddy that first week of RA training. It seemed like we were always next to each other and that kind of set precedence for the rest of the year. He became one of my closest friends. As far as RA business goes, we had a lot in common: we were both on the second floors in our buildings which means we roved on the same night, we were in the same ward, we were in the same FHE group, we had staff meeting and class together. Basically, this means we saw a lot of each other. Staying up late to talk after our roves turned into hanging out, lots of rock climbing, and just plain fun. We went on so many adventures and wanted to go on so many more! We could talk about anything and we were always laughing and making fun of each other. It's always fun to meet new people and learn about them and see their perspective on life. David is definitely unique, but that's what makes him so awesome. I've never met someone who was so willing to help everyone around him and take advantage of so many service opportunities. He calls his friends "family" and would seriously do anything for them. He always wants to play and have fun, but is such a hard worker and really knows how to get things done and work till he's done his best. He goes above and beyond to try and make a difference and I know the guys on his floor loved him. He is so smart and works hard in school as well! He's willing to try new things and is so passionate about what he loves. He's a great listener and is so supportive and reflective and humble. Although there are too many memories to count, I will never forget hiding in closets to scare the RA on duty, laughing during class about things taken too seriously, doing our roves together at the beginning of the year and realizing that it took way too long, getting hit by a car, surfing on the ice, losing my ID card in the ceiling boards, and so much more.
Tyler is a total California boy which means that he's the typical blond haired swimmer, laid back attitude, awesome kind of guy. But so much more. Tyler was always surprising me with his witty comments and never ending love woes. I loved just showing up at his apartment and sitting on his couch listening to music and talking. This usually happened when we should have been focusing on homework and doing something else important but I loved spending time with Tyler. Mostly because he is just so drama free and that's nice every once in a while. I loved listening to him speak Italian and got annoyed with his demands of back rubbing. I really looked up to him as an RA because he had it down. His guys adored him and he also was able to put on great activities and spent the time he needed with them to really build those relationships of trust. There was never a time when there wasn't somebody that just decided to stop by and say hi. He was never afraid to tell me how it was and just be honest and up front with me. Oftentimes I really needed to hear what he had to say even if I acted frustrated with him. And even if I questioned if I really liked him or not, I hope he realized I did because I wouldn't have wasted my time hanging out with him if I didn't actually care about him haha! He is such a genuine, great guy and was so fun to laugh with. He even remembers my birthday and that's a big deal for him haha I got to spend some quality time with him on my last day in Provo and I couldn't have asked for anything better. I'm really gonna miss this kid, but I hope he gets married and works on getting that awesome bod that he dreams of this summer ;)
What would I do without Matt? He is one of the most confident people that I know and knows everyone too! He has strong opinions and sticks to them and is very informed about our world. He is so smart and I'm so proud of all the hard work he's done this semester! I swear he's always in the lab getting stuff done and working on becoming an amazing doctor! He taught me how to be more open-minded and accepting of those around me. We spent some quality time together this year whether it was just talking in passing, hanging out during thanksgiving, talking in one another's apartments, or fun creamery dates for dinner. Kids meals are the best! And don't forget to say you want it "to go" because they give you way more fries :) Oh, and how can I forget the one day that you attempted to teach me gymnastics? haha! I always looked forward to getting a hug from Matt and have him greet me with open arms. We were always there for each other when we needed it most. I couldn't help but laugh sometimes at the awesome conversations we had and how sure of himself he is. There is nothing that will stop him from accomplishing what he wants. I'm so glad we got to spend some time together one last time, there was always something to talk about. And he was always one of the first people to compliment me on how I looked that day or how I smelled or on how well I had done something. It always meant a lot. Oh, and he's the first one to teach me the first vision in spanish. How awesome is that? Love ya Matt.
Canute! We didn't get to spend as much time together, but I still loved getting to know him! He is an extremely talented artist and actor. We all thought it was so cool that he served his mission in Africa! He is so easy to get along with and definitely knows how to have fun. I loved seeing him interact with his guys and handle everything so well because I know they were definitely a hand full! He always had such great ideas at staff meeting and I think he helped bring balance to our group of craziness haha! It was always fun to joke around too. Remember when you had that mustache? Yeah, that happened... I think this pretty much sums it up.
Now it's time for the girls! Usually, I don't make the closest girl friends, but this was different. I don't know what I would do without these girls and we seriously had a blast this year. We definitely saw the best and worst of each other and that's what made the year so fun. And I know they'll be my friends forever. One year together and then 18 months apart, but things will be good when we all get back.
Emily is one of the sweetest girls I've ever met! She was kind of like the second "mom" of the FHE family and was always so willing to let us use her apartment and help when I couldn't be there. She was also my go-to girl and I knew I could count on her for anything. She is so thoughtful and is always doing sweet things for other people. I loved her "Happily Ever After" tree on her floor and how she always decorated her front door for the holidays. She got along so well with her roommates and had a blast with them. She is so compassionate and I loved spending time with her as she listened to my endless drama. She was a real trooper to put up with me all the time haha! Alli, Emily, and I all have missionaries and that was the first thing we bonded over. Getting letters was always the best. And guess what? We leave for our missions on the same day and I can't wait to go to her farewell! Emily and I always get the same jokes and there were always so many times during staff meeting, class, or FHE where we would look over at each other and just start busting up laughing. I loved those moments haha! Emily is such a great friend and she is always so good at making me feel like a million bucks and cheering me up whenever I needed it. She always has such great perspective and I'm gonna miss her. Thank goodness for letters :)
Stacie was only with us for the first semester, but we loved having her work with us! We were always so impressed with how she was so good at taking notes and so much more organized than all of us. She is so sweet and I loved getting texts from her just checking up on me or making me feel good. She is so easy to get along with and definitely on top of her job. I hope she's doing well in California!
 |
| Our cute sister missionary! |
I looked up to Allison from day one. She definitely knew what she was doing and has a lot of experience. She has a lot going for her and she is so talented! She always had so much going on and she seemed to manage it so well. Since we only had her with us for the second semester, we didn't get to know her as well, but she fit in great and she definitely added to our little group.
 |
| Allison and her cute boyfriend! |
I just love Katelyn and I'm so glad we're friends and could talk about anything! Probably my favorite part of roving was Katelyn coming down to visit me. When we were sitting in the office totally bored, one of us showed up and made the night a little more exciting. There was always the fun of getting completely scared by either other RA's or silly freshman boys. There was always lots of drama and exciting stories to tell. Lots of laughing and looks of unbelief of the crazy things that happened. Katelyn is going to Ukraine next semester to teach English. I know she's going to have a blast and I was so excited to be one of the first ones to know :) She is such a great leader and is an amazing event planner. She is so organized and takes everything so seriously and gets stuff done. We probably would've died without her because she was always so on top of it and whenever she had a question she made sure she found out the answer and let us all know! She was also so good at making me feel so great about myself and was always there to talk. I'm definitely sensing a trend here...Basically I had the biggest support group and cheerleaders with my coworkers and I couldn't have asked for anything better. I was so blessed to be with these wonderful people.
 |
| this is us at 1:30 in the morning...fun stuff |
Miss Alli left us a few weeks before the semester ended and was off to England. I had a class with her fall semester and absolutely loved it. There was always something new to talk about each tuesday and we couldn't have survived that class without each other. It was kind of torture. Especially at the beginning of the semester when we went to a GSA meeting at BYU. Quite possibly one of the most eye-opening and terrifying experiences of my life. When she wasn't spending time with her girls, I loved hanging out with her and chatting. She was always there for me and I loved that. She shares my love for Disney, had a missionary, knows Bryan, and I loved having so much in common with her. She was an amazing example to me and a great RA and student and I know she is going to be an amazing missionary. She is always so positive and full of life and I loved being her friend this year. It will be so fun to see how everything unfolds in the future!
Staff meeting was always an adventure since we spent a few months with only one hall advisor. I think that's what really made us so close. There was always so much talking and things took way longer to get accomplished, but we loved each other and that made it all worth it. And there were always always treats. I loved that we always had a spiritual thought and how flexible and understanding we were of each other. And we always had a blast laughing at the stupid things freshman do. Here's some numbers to give you a visual of our job:
Number of scares- 26
One on Ones with Becca- 150
Cleaning Checks: 35
staff meetings- 28
Quotes on the whiteboard: roughly 200 (sometimes we forgot)
Times we clap for Hoku (our teacher)- 100% of the time
Calling the police: 4
Girls in the building: 256
Maintenance problems: 111
Asking where the central building- 39
CS Meetings:- 150
Programs- 12
Talking to Paul: 14
Boys in apartments: 96 times
Flyers to put up-87566852356
Fires- 4
Pinterest in staff meeting- 100% of the time
Girls going on missions: 112
Hugs: 1938247923874
Some highlights were the fire in Whitney( plus 3 other fires around Heritage), the endless dance parties and moving watching in Young/Whitney, the chicken left on the doorstep in 26, the elevator getting broken with 25+ people in it in 27, the elevator stopping with only one person in it in 26 haha, my ceiling leaking during the winter, the fire alarms going off in 28 and having floods of girls come into our building at 1 in the morning, a window being shattered from a rock, tents being put up in the activity room, lots and lots of pranks, apartments with boys in them after hours with their blinds wide open (if you're gonna do it, at least be sneaky about it haha) long boarders, and the lovely residents that continue to break every rule in the book even though you've reminded them a million times before. It was an adventure for sure.
Programs:
Academic: BYU Jeopardy with ice cream
Emotional: Women's Services talk and healthy food plus hair and nails
Physical: Yogurt and Yoga
Spiritual: Al Fox fireside
Each month I had an apartment over for dinner. I made whatever they desired; a home-cooked, well-rounded meal with their favorite dessert. It was so fun to have the girls over and to just talk and get to know them better. We always did a lot of laughing and it was a blast to see them interact together. And I think I had 44 out of the 48 girls come which was pretty impressive! I'm so glad I chose to do it!
Floor meetings weren't always a big hit but on occasion they went pretty well. It was hard to get discussion out of them but I usually always had treats and I tried to do fun things with them. We watched some fun videos, I gave some spiritual thoughts occasionally, and on some days I actually found myself being quite humorous. Usually I was running late or knocking on doors (or having Sarah and Kristen yell down the hall for me) but they did happen and I hope that someone got something out of it at one point or another. I also did a spotlight sheet at the beginning of the year which also helped me get to know the girls better and would read two or three of them at each meeting.
And how can I forget to talk about our amazing hall advisors, Becca and Lessa, and Brianna.
Brianna was only here for September but it was so fun to be with her during training. She was so organized and definitely knew what she was doing. She brought us all together and we had a blast, especially because her and Becca got along so well! The most ironic part was that she was so young and some of the RAs were older than her...weird. We definitely missed her for the rest of the year!
But Lessa came around November and we loved having her! She was so on top of it and had been a hall advisor before. She definitely brought some much needed structure for those boys and I envied their office that was
always clean. So untypical for a building of boys. Lessa fit right in and even though it took us a while to get to know her, we appreciated her so much! She is pretty easy going and was always willing to talk to us. She was always affirming us and letting us know that we were doing our job well. She handled things so well and never got flustered or stressed on the outside. In other words, she knew how to keep her cool haha! And I loved babysitting her cute girls Ella and Hazel, and she has another one on the way :)
I don't even know where to begin with Becca. I just feel so blessed to have had her this year. I look up to and admire her so much! We are almost exactly 10 years apart and it was so fun being birthday buddies :) I looked forward to every minute I got to spend with Becca and learning from her. She had her expectations but was also willing to be flexible and work around our needs and totally supported us in everything we did. She became not only my boss, but one of my friends. She of course loved getting caught up on all our drama and talking to us about anything and everything, especially pinterest. There were so many times we invited each other over to try a new treat or show each other some new craft we tried out. Love it! Every monday afternoon at 4:30 I got to spend a whole 30 minutes talking to her about my week and about my girls and just my job and life in general. It was always fantastic and definitely a highlight of my week. I loved getting new goals and hearing her encouragement or words of advice. I definitely trusted her and felt so comfortable telling her everything and loved that she always made sure I was getting enough sleep or checking up on talking to that professor. She is so awesome! She has done so many of the things that I want to do and I hope that I will be able to accomplish them as well! We loved to laugh at each other and help each other out and really just worked well together. I'm also in love with her cute little kids! They are absolutely adorable and she loves to talk about them :) I loved hearing Bronson run through the halls or holding cute little Evie. I loved watching disney movies with Bronson, playing firetrucks, chutes and ladders, and throwing balls. Little kids are the best!!! She was kind of in the same boat as us because she was getting ready to leave Utah as well. She moved to San Antonio because her husband graduated and got a job down there! And even though she's super proud of him, it was definitely an adjustment. And she had to live for a few months without him. What a bummer! They are the cutest :) I will miss this family so much!
Here's my paragraph for our RA final project:
There are not so many things that I wish I would’ve known before I started as an RA, but rather things I wish I would’ve done better. Since none of us are perfect, there is always something we can learn and grow from. I learned how important it is to LOVE. It really is the basis of everything in this world and without it, our relationships with those around us will never reach their potential. It’s easy to just go throughout your day and focus on your wants and needs. But your world can be completely changed if you truly look outside yourself and see what you can do for others. Sometimes it’s hard with a floor of 48 girls, but I definitely have felt like a better RA with those girls that I actually took time to love and pay particular attention to. Love allows you to focus on people’s strengths and to see them as our Heavenly Father would see them. I wish I would’ve put a bigger emphasis on CS meetings and their importance to the community. I’m sure that we could’ve become a lot closer to each other and participated in some great discussions if only I knew the right way to start them. I wish I would’ve established the fine line between being friends and being an RA. Sometimes it’s so hard to uphold every rule and make sure that everyone is abiding by the Honor Code when you are friends with residents. Who wants to be told what to do by their friends? No one. But ultimately, we all signed the Honor Code and we all signed a contract to live in Heritage Halls and because of that we should all be responsible to making sure that we are doing our best to live up to those papers we signed. It comes down to our own moral judgment and integrity. However, aside from the few things I wish I did differently, there are million things that went smoothly and made this year an awesome experience. I loved being a leader on this floor. I loved having girls come talk to me or spending time with them in their apartments, at activities, and at CS meetings. I loved having an apartment over for dinner each month. It was definitely something to look forward to and I got to know the girls better than I would have otherwise. I loved going to RA class and learning about all those topics. And majority of the time I found myself not applying it to my residents but to myself and seeing how I could do better and become more well-rounded and deal with the situations of life more effectively. I had an amazing freshman year and I loved reliving that and trying to allow as many girls as possible to have that same experience. It has been so fun to watch them learn and grow and figure out who they are and what they want to do with their lives. I love the excitement of freshman activities and the crazy shenanigans that go on all the time! Coming to college and living in Heritage has definitely blessed my life and I am so grateful for the opportunity I have had to grow as an individual and also be an example to those around me. I have made some lasting friendships and learned so much from both my residents and my co-workers. It has been a wonderful year and one I won’t forget!
Without my girls, my job would be nothing. So here's to them. 48 amazing girls that I am so lucky to have met! I said from day one that I had the best floor and that proved to be true throughout the rest of the year. They were angels!
2101
These girls were always so busy! I don't think they ever were all home at the same time. Michaela had crazy hard classes, Aubrey was always doing some theater or dancing thing. Brooke was always missing gymnastics.
 |
| Angela, Megan, Brooke, Michaela |
2102
These girls were adorable and definitely outgoing and made great friends in their ward. They are all super sweet and I love chatting with them. Hailey left at the end of fall semester to become an RA and so there were only 5 of them for winter semester and this brought them closer together!
 |
| Carina, Madi, Amanda, Natalie, Becca, Hailey |
2103
These girls were so talented and hard working! Most of them had jobs and followed the statement "early to bed, early to rise". They were super social too and always hanging out with people in their ward, including boyfriends, watching movies, playing games, or making food. Jane is a harp performance major...amazing! Natalie is one of the most outdoorsy people I've ever met. She was always going on hikes, bike rides, and participating in triathlons and marathons. And it was always a pleasure to see Mindy working at the creamery.
 |
| Jane, Mindy, Laura, Alison, Christinah, Natalie |
2104
One name:
PARTY ANIMALS! Very eccentric as you can see haha For how difficult their classes were, they definitely found time to live it up. They were always out in the hallway having fun with their friends, playing games in the courtyard, watching movies, laughing, going on dates, and introducing their friends to their wonderful RA ;) I gained new friends from my girls haha! And for the record, I still don't know what Mikayla's real voice sounds like. She was always doing new accents for me.
 |
| Hannah, Elena, Sadee, Mikayla |
2105
Emily and Jodi left me after fall semester to go on missions. Halle was left all alone at BYU, but I think she survived. These girls were the best of friends and they were just so cute! Their other roommate Eden was adorable as well but was rarely ever home because she was always doing something related to singing or hanging out with her boyfriend (who she should be getting engaged to any day now) Winter semester Madi and Grace moved in. They were best friends too and I didn't get to know them that well but they gave me a huge compliment at the end of the semester and it reminded me that we can make a difference even if it doesn't seem like it all the time.
 |
| Emily, Jodi, Halle |
2202
If anything, I was so blessed to have a floor of girls where each apartment
LOVED each other. These girls were so close and had a blast together. Kasandra and Sydney knew each other from high school and loved having an 8 month sleepover with their best friend. Katie and Meggie were always getting down and dirty with the boys playing football, soccer, and thespian wrestling. They knew how to party hard and study hard. And 4 of them are going on missions. They decided they're taking over the world. Brazil, El Salvador, Japan, and Germany better watch out!
 |
| Katie, Meggie, Jordan, Lily, Sydney, Kasandra |
2204
Half of them were here for the summer. Guess what that means...they're too good for an RA haha! Trust me, I was one of those girls. You think you know everything and are a BYU pro ha. Love them though. They definitely knew how to live up the college life. Here they are with their FHE brothers, the STUD dorm. Yes, we actually call them that. All gone on missions, those handsome young men. Losa...one of the funniest girls I've ever met in my entire life. I loved listening to her sunday school lessons. She knows how to make it interesting. Hayley and I shared a class together...hated it. Tania took a scuba diving class...who knew? And Tasia left us in March to go serve a mission in Brazil. Not pictured would be the track stars, Danielle and Laura.
 |
Hayley, Jordan, Tania, Travis, JD, Losa, Evan
Austin, Tasia, Dylan |
2215
Kaylee and I had a blast this year. She was seriously so helpful all the time and I loved her support of my job and everything else that went on with my crazy life. I loved having a roommate that I actually got along with! Our biggest feat was decorating our living room. Our beautiful quote wall, streamers, and Christmas lights. It definitely added to the mood of the room and it was so sad when it was all taken down. Kaylee is such a strong girl and I love her confidence about life. Oftentimes she had a better perspective about things than I did. We loved sharing such a huge apartment and loved having our own rooms haha! There was equal sharing of parties and get togethers with our friends and we got introduced to lots of different people. Kaylee was so cute and got excited about the most random things. She has an awesome sense of style and listens to such a wide range of music. She refers to herself as the tall, blonde girl haha! And I'm sure she looked way older than me even though she's almost two and a half years younger than me. I hope her freshman year was all she imagined it would be and that she continues to enjoy BYU during spring/summer!
 |
| i LOVED this halloween costume! |
2217
I love these girls with all my heart! I was the 7th "honorary" roommate and let myself in the apartment whenever I pleased. Half the time they already knew it was me and it was never a surprise when I just showed up in one of their rooms. We loved watching movies, talking and laughing about everything, eating Sarah's baked goods, trying to study, hanging out with frisbee friends and FHE brothers, and being silly. They are all so awesome and talented and I'm so glad that I have all of them as some of my closest friends. They made my job easy and I appreciate everything they did for me! I loved hearing about Beth's family and the need to always be healthy around her haha! We loved watching movies and shared a love for Downton Abbey and felt so cool that we watched it all before it was broadcast in America :) I loved talking about boy drama with Amanda and laughing about things on pinterest and hearing all about Alaska and Logan. I love Megan's sweet spirit and her interest in my life from the very first time I met her. She has adorable outfits and is going to be an amazing missionary. Although I wish she wouldn't have been so darn busy so we could have hung out with her more! I love Kristen's love for life and how she did such an amazing job at her calling. She is so nice to everyone and is so talented at soccer and singing! I love Sarah's ability to serve everyone around her and make them feel like they are they greatest person on earth. I love all the random shenanigans that her and Kristen did all the time and how they were just meant to be roommates haha! I loved being her visiting teacher and how she would always remind me to come over each month. I loved watching her write in her journal at church, and even putting in random facts or anything important worth noting in there. I loved Jasmine's ability to listen and to talk about boys, the el ed program, dance, and of course the awesome books she let me borrow. I love following her on pinterest and reading her blog and hearing about her and beth's late night talks. I was so excited for her to go home and finally see her missionary. Let's just say I have a nudge that there will be a wedding by the end of the year ;) These girls are the best and my year wouldn't have been the same without them. They are such great examples to me and I'm going to miss them so much!
 |
| Beth, Amanda, Megan, Kristen, Sarah, Jasmine |
Oftentimes I would think, "man, I wish I could start over" or "What can I do better?". I was wishing I could have a second chance. But one time, Becca, who has been a hall advisor for 4 years, told me that you're never gonna be perfect. There's always going to be something that you wish you could do better. The important thing is to focus on what you're doing right and your strengths and just doing the best you can. That's all that anyone can ask for. To do your best. And at different times, sometimes your best is going to be more and sometimes it's going to be less. And so with that in mind, I would say that this year was a major success. I am so blessed to have such an awesome experience and I know it helped prepare me for future things in my life. Residence Life has an amazing program and I feel so lucky to be a part of it.
 |
ignore the blurriness and my closed eyes. This is the only one we have of
all 5 of us and we're matching totally on accident! |
 |
| the last day :( |
