Melvin Smith

Why did you choose to be an RA or DA and what has been the most fulfilling part of your experience?

The reason I chose to be an RA is because my first year here, my RA felt very distant and  unreachable. I came in, not knowing anyone, and felt very alone and spent most of my time  holed up in my room. Knowing how lonely it can be, I became an RA to not only uplift and  connect with my residents but also my fellow RAs, GHA, and even RECs. I love the quote of,  “Helping one person won’t change the world, but it will change the world for the one  person.” Every action we take has a reaction, whether we realize it or not, and as an RA, I  hope that many of my actions and words have a positive impact throughout our community.  

The most fulfilling part about my experience is being able to not only forge a connection  with my residents but genuinely help them out in ways that I personally wasn’t expecting to  be able to help out in. There have been many situations where my residents have come to  me about what most people would claim as mundane issues but to me, I find it a great  privilege to be trusted enough that this person feels valued, loved, and comfortable enough  to come to me and talk about what’s bothering them. 

How do you manage your academics, leadership roles, and extracurriculars with your RA or DA job?

To manage my academics, leadership roles, extracurriculars, and RA responsibilities, I use a  priority chart that organizes tasks into three categories: Urgent, Timely, and Backburner. I  then evaluate each task using a method I created called the T.U.R.K.E.Y. system, which helps  me assess how to approach each responsibility strategically: 

T – Time: How much time will this take? 
U – Urgency: How urgent is this task? 
R – Readiness: Am I mentally or emotionally ready to complete it? 
K – Knowledge: How much do I already know about what needs to be done? 
E – Elaboration: How detailed or involved is the task? 
Y – You: If someone else were doing this, how would you suggest they approach it? 

This process allows me to sort tasks in a way that prioritizes what’s most important while  also accounting for my personal capacity and workload. By regularly reassessing and  adjusting based on the TURKEY system, I’m able to stay organized, balanced, and proactive  across all my commitments. 

How has the RA or DA role developed you personally and professionally?

The RA role has helped me develop personally and professionally due to me slowly and  steadily building my sense of time management. While it can use some more work, I do  believe that it is improving, one step at a time.