Becoming A Residential Advisor

A residential advisor interacts with each and every resident on their hall, as well as holds the position of a role model for the residents. My interest in becoming a residential advisor stems from my desire to give students at Virginia Tech the best experience they can have, especially in their first years. By providing residents with my support, dedication, and care, I can accomplish this feat. Currently my goals involve completing my Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering, and using my time in college to decide whether or not I would like to pursue further education, potentially pursuing a doctorate. In college, relationships between students are a fundamental step to success, both as a student and a person. Becoming a residential advisors
places me in many positions where I can form these interconnections with other students. Meeting a plethora of new people also helps to build a network, which in a field such as engineering has important implications. The duties of a residential advisor also involve of continual reporting to upper levels of housing, which is representative of many hierarchical structures used in companies. Having experience with this in this setting After college, I plan to pursue a career in the field of Chemical Engineering, ideally working in research, depending on how far I take my education. Positions in research often involve being in charge of or part of a team. An RA both serves as a leadership role for their residents and as a part of a team, collaborating with other residential advisors and the hall RLCs. Any experience working as a team serves as valuable practice towards my eventual career.