My first year of college were so many things, but if I had to describe it in a few words, I would say: exciting, growing, & learning. I owe it to a lot of individuals, leaders, & friendly faces on campus who genuinely desired to get to know me, plug me into life on campus, and discover what opportunities TCU offered for my specific passions and talents. Some of those people were my RA's (resident assistant) in the residence hall I lived in. Although they were just students like me, there was something about these people that made me want to spend time with them, get to know them, and grow from them. For one thing, my RA's constantly encouraged me to never give up on opportunities out of fear of rejection. Because of these people, I didn't just gain best friends, but also a deeper understanding of who I was and who I wanted to be through the clubs & organizations that they nudged me to pursue.
One of these opportunities my RA's encouraged me to apply for was the RA position itself. After a long process of nerve-racking anticipation from the multiple interviews and evaluations, I got the exciting news that I would be an Resident Assistant in Foster Hall, one of the first-year residence halls at TCU. I can't wait to cultivate community and build relationships within Foster this upcoming year, and thought I would add an entire category on this blog about my learnings from my experience, as well as crafting, programming, and bulletin board ideas. I believe that simple program and/or friendly bulletin boards can impact an individual in their new "home-away-from-home" by giving a more welcoming vibe to the residence hall, but moreover, show how much we care about each resident's experience living here at TCU. I can't wait to not only watch my residents grow from their first year of college, but also how I grow myself from this new RA position! Hope you enjoy :)
Foster Staff 2018-20
Residents = family
RA Crafts/Ideas
Programs, door decks, and bulletin boards galore! Feel free to use and share ideas.
programs
Program Purpose. That's always my first question when I am brainstorming program ideas. What is its purpose? You always want to have in mind that if you want residents to come, it should not only be fun, but should cater to their needs or passions.
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door decks
2019 Semester 2 hedgehogs:
Welcome to Spring, Foster Phoenixes!
Papersource hedgehogs...but if you can make it on your own, it's much cheaper!
Wow, time flies by! Semester 1 was great, and semester 2 is right around the corner! Contemplating what to do for my theme, all I could think about was making hedgehog door decks! I was looking at my all time favorite (and very overpriced store), "Papersource" for ideas, and found these small hedgehogs that you could make with the package they had. However, it was out of my price range for door decks as I would have to make 40 and just 8 was over ten bucks. So....I put my artistic skills to work, and created my own! Then, the theme was pretty obvious-make a garden/spring/flowery wing that residents can come to to be reminded of not only the BEAUTY of the school that they go to, but also the GROWTH that comes with going through freshman year of college! (hopefully it also reminds them to clean their rooms with all the flowers hung on the ceilings and taped to the wall. My wing could use some sanitation cues). Here is the finished product of my doordecks:
2020 Semester 2 Doordecks:
Oh The Places You'll Go!
Inspired by Dr. Seuss's Oh the Places You'll Go!, I had my door decks match my wing theme of Seussville! Had a blast, and was able to make these crafts with construction paper and a printer! This theme makes for a bright and uplifting space for your residents to come home to every day!
Boards
Thanksgiving board 2019
Making boards interactive are always fun! I started the first feather of Horton by writing that I was thankful for my residents.
educational
With new policy being implemented around juul products on TCU's campus, I decided to create a board on what they are.
2020 Bulletin Board: New Year, New Goals!
A perfect way to make your bulletin board interactive and creative! This can also help you serve as accountability for your residents on a goal they have for this upcoming year/semester!
1st Bulletin Board: "Places That Blew Me Away"
I don't know about you, but I'm a huge fan of coffee shops and ice cream places. Thought I'd make a bulletin board with recommendations of different places in the FW area for students coming from out of state as great places to hang with friends, study, and relax!
2nd Bulletin Board: "Coco for Coconuts!"
With Wellness week at TCU coming up, I thought I would do an educational board on coconuts because 1) I love coconut everything, and 2) I wanted to show that living a healthy lifestyle can be easy, fun, and sometimes even delicious! I also put some programs happening this month on the bottom that promote health as a plug to get them to come!
Group Bulletin Board: Cycle Your Way to an A!
Embracing the Fall Festivities!
Combined the October Month's Fall vibes into a board on study tips as my residents finish out the Fall Semester!
Spring Semester January Board calls for a lil' love represented in Bob Goff Himself!
I used quotes from my favorite. Christian author, Bob Goff, to show that what makes the ultimate hero is living an extraordinary life of love in the midst of a broken world filled with sinful people. Stop making life so complicated and just go love people!
Ending Semester 1 w/ a lil' bit of Encouragement!
February—the month of love.
Spreading the love
A way that my residents can write a lil' something to others in my wing in the midst of Valentine's Day! The only downside to this is you risk negative things people will write to others.*
March: Celebrating International Women's Day!
