On a very hot, humid day, it was time to set sail for the future ahead of me at WPI. I didn’t pull up to my residence hall in a boat but instead two fully packed cars. Regardless of the fact I live only an hour away, I brought enough probably an entire year at sea instead of a term. I had never lived away from my parents, and I had lived in the same house for my entire life. So this was a huge change to me. It was a little nerve racking, but extremely exciting to say the least. I couldn’t wait to see what kind of impact I would have on campus.

As the days went along and this ship continued to sail, I kept finding myself becoming more and more homesick and missing all of my friends from high school. The only way I know how to deal with this was to fill up my schedule and be busy. For one thing, college is all about finding yourself and making a statement of who you are, not just a time to sit in your room skyping your best friends from home all day long. Consequently, I took advantage of all the amazing things WPI has to offer. Here, we have a wonderful community full of friendly faces willing to help, and I wanted to be able to help others just the same.

As college students, we get flooded with emails daily, and we can all agree we don’t read every single email that bombards our laptops each day. But sometimes, just one email can change your entire outlook and college experience. I got an email one night talking all about an organization named Residence Hall Council (or RHC for short!) that plans events and has a say of what goes on in my hall, and my immediate thought was of course I want to plan events! This way I can meet all these new people who live down the hall from me who I have never spoken to in my life! So, as you might have guessed, I signed up! I filled out the application that night about why I wanted to be a part of the hall council. I ran for both the Hall Director as well as the Events Coordinator for the Hall Council within my building (as each residence hall has its own Hall Council within RHC). I campaigned along the halls and tried to get my name out there so that the students I was living with actually knew who I am, and so they could put a face to the name. When the tide rolled in and it was time for the results, I won Events Coordinator and tied for Hall Director. I became Events Coordinator after a choice of which I wanted to take. Although I wasn’t the captain of the ship, I was prepared to be the best crew member I could be to help others get the best college experience they could.

I’ve always had the dream to make a difference in lives some way or another. As Events Coordinator, I was able to do that. I could plan fun events for the other students living around me and change their lives in a positive way. As a result of becoming Events Coordinator (EC), I was also a member of Programming Committee of RHC wherein all the members would discuss what was going on in their hall councils and share all the exciting and fun events they had planned.

Being the EC meant I was the real enforcer for the events that we had within our residence hall. We successfully were able to form a genuine community with many members of the hall by having a finals de-stressor where we all made stress balls. Although it was very messy, it was fun laughing and getting to know so many people who live in the building.

Not every hall council meeting had calm seas ahead of us. We didn’t struggle with coming up with ideas, per say. However, we did tend to struggle with coming up with realistic ideas. Together, we had such an intense imagination that we continually were dreaming of extravagant campus-wide events that would most likely be way out of our hall council budget. Despite this storm, we were able to come up with an actual campus wide event and execute it through RHC. Daniels Hall Council paired up with dinning services and had a gingerbread decorating contest in our dining hall. This was my first large scale event, and it was extremely exciting being able to plan and hold such an event. During finals week, RHC holds a de-stressor that is also campus wide, and our hall council won the bidding process to implement our idea! We had a Winter-Wonderland/Pajama themed event where we made winter crafts, built gingerbread houses, and drank hot chocolate, all while staying nice and warm as the snow piled up outside.

When I heard about an RHC conference, NEACURH Regionals 2014, I was so excited to apply. These conferences involve tons of other schools coming together and sharing their different college experiences, and I knew it was a place for me. I LOVE meeting new people and sharing as well as listening to the experiences of their lives. That is what NEACURH is all about, sharing their stories in order to better our communities, while going a little crazy and having a boat load of fun while we’re at it. I was chosen to be on the delegation, and I didn’t really know any of the other students going, but frankly, I didn’t mind. I was excited to be able to learn more about them. As conference came around, we became closer and closer as a delegation. Regionals was one of my favorite and most memorable experiences. During all of our committee meetings prior to, I was a smidge on the shy side just because I didn’t really know exactly what I was getting myself into and with whom for that same matter. But once conference came, my entire attitude change and I burst out of my shell in no time. It changed my entire outlook on RHC and how our community at WPI could be improved through all the advice from other delegations.

After NEACURH Regionals, I knew I wanted to continue my involvement with RHC, and at the time, a vacancy opened up for Vice President of Finance on the executive board. I ran, won the election and am now the new Vice President of Finance. Getting used to the position has been a little tough because it has added a lot more on my plate than expected. But as the weeks have gone on, I had become more and more comfortable, especially with the help of the other executive members. They have made the transition much smoother. Each and every one of them has been so welcoming and helpful in all of my endeavors. I was the only first-year student as a VP on the executive board, and I was and still am incredibly proud to be representing the class of 2018. Being a Vice President forced me to grow up quickly but in the best possible way. I have never really been one to voice my opinion especially when there are others who may have more experience, but with how comfortable I became with the other members of exec., I was able to break out of my shell and actually speak my mind.

During my freshmen year, I was also able to attended NEACURH Minis 2015. I was so thankful to be able to attend another conference because I feared I would not be able to go to another conference because I had already been a delegate at Regionals 2014. However, our director who was in charge of the conference delegation saw potential in me in a such a way that WPI’s RHC would improve through my actions and takeaways at another conference. Being a second-time delegate, I knew exactly what to expect and I was ready to take advantage of all that conference has to offer. The first-time delegates within our delegation looked to me as a leader to help them in turn have the best experience they could have. As our director was performing conference duties most of the conference, I was able to step in and give the other members advice and any other things they may have needed for the weekend. At Minis, I was able to watch one of my newest best friends receive an RHC Pride Pin and my RHC President receive President of the Year. And also, I ended up receiving a First Year Experience Award based upon a bid I submitted about my experience through RHC and WPI. I was extremely honored, but more importantly, I was so honored to be able to watch two incredible people win such distinguished awards. It was truly a weekend I will never forget.

I am honestly so thankful for the experience I had and how it shaped my next few years in college. I truly feel like I have had an experience unlike any other. I went from being the kind of person who doesn’t like change and generally sticks to her own ways day in to day out to someone who is so ready for whatever is thrown at her. I have countless club members who have my back, a new best friend who serves on the executive council of a club I am extremely passionate about and devoted to, and a major that I love and cannot wait to be able to work with in the very near future. All of these amazing aspects of my life are a result of my first year at WPI.

I'm now a junior, and looking back, I have realized that not many students have had such an experience as I have had. I have grown so much throughout my college career and I owe so much to this one club.

And honestly, I would not have had such a great experience if it weren’t for the people I have met in RHC. I truly consider many of these members great friends that I can go to for any situation and they would be there for me. RHC isn’t just a club to me; it is a family. I have loved every day of my first-year at WPI and the years following, and am so thankful for this experience.