This year marks my second fall Resident Assistant training. It also marks my last fall training. It's been quite the ride through these past couple years and I have learned a lot throughout this journey. This is my fourth training session, so hopefully I've retained some things...just kidding I know it all. I'm sure that many other RAs can relate to these things that go along with training. Here are just a few of the things that I get out of training, you know along with learning how to do the job!

These are some of the best friends you can make! Honestly, no one know what else you might be going through besides other RAs. From duty nights to socials it seems there is always something going on for us. You spend so much time with your staff at meetings and trainings that you get to know them so well! Training is filled with so many team builders and trust exercises. You can't get through it without learning something new about them. No matter how long you have known them.

I promise you, you are never craftier than you are during your time as an RA. There are so many things to make for when those students arrive! You wanna make the best door decorations (or at least ones they won't want to throw away...) You make a bulletin board, and sometimes you get ambitious and want to decorate your hallway. I try my best, but I'm gonna be honest I do not have the greatest crafting ability. All I can hope is that the residents won't look too closely...

Now, going along with all the crafting that you have to do, there are many late nights that come along with RA training. So the caffeine is running the whole time. I can't tell you how many Mountain Dews it takes to keep me running, mainly because it's probably a very unhealthy number. Towards the end we can all get a little sleep deprived and loopy. And we take naps whenever possible, we just try to avoid it during the training.

Being an RA has taught me so much during my time at Wayne State. I don't think I could've gotten a better group of people to work with. I get to work with my best friends and that is one of the best jobs that you can have. Being an RA helped guide me to what I wanted to be when I grew up. And it has taught me so many things that I can carry throughout life. I can't wait to see what this last year holds. I've got a killer staff, and I am ready to take on senior year and my last year as an RA with them.