With a new semester underway, some students are busy moving into their new homes on campus. Dorm life comes with many perks — being close to classes, friends and food — and each resident hall has a resource for students to learn about those perks: A residential adviser.
Residential advisers, or RAs, serve many purposes, from building communities to teaching valuable skills.  Leah Lagoudis, communication and Spanish junior and residential advisor for Fowler Hall, became an RA in the same dorm complex her mother was an RA in. She said while the focus of RAs vary, she focuses on helping students adjust to college life.
“My floor is mainly freshmen,” Lagoudis said. “I only have two sophomores, so it’s just supporting them through the adjusting period of coming to college and learning how to study and all other things that come with college.”
RAs have been checking in students for the new semester and Lagoudis said most RAs are prepping for the upcoming hall programs for later in the year. Mitchell Li, applied mathematics junior and RA for Fowler Hall, said he would advise anyone living in the dorms to get to know their RA.
“One day just go to your RA and get to know him or her really well,” Li said. “They’re really good people. The most rewarding part of being an RA is that feeling when you know you’ve actually made a change in someone’s life.”
Li said his motivation to be an RA came after his parents’ divorce.
“When my parents got divorced it was hard to go through it alone,” Li said. “I had people to talk to about it but they didn’t really understand … They couldn’t really empathize with it well. I just felt like I was equipped to help people out more than most.”
Armandina Alvarez, history sophomore and RA for Keathley Hall, said becoming an RA has helped her get to know herself better and create memorable relationships.
“I definitely plan on being a history teacher when I graduate and I know that sometimes I lack authority and I lack the courage to face people who I want to see me in a positive light,” Alvarez said. “So I thought that being an RA could help me get to know people better and also help me with that authoritative necessity that I don’t have that I need to have while also maintaining professional and friendly relationships with people.”
Lagoudis said interested students can apply to be an RA online but should realize the commitment beforehand.
“If someone needs help at 2 a.m. you are that person to go and help them,” Lagoudis said. “If you are okay with that then you can be there for people in some of their hardest times that they’ll ever have in college, but at the same time you’ll have to make personal sacrifices … But it is a very fun journey.”
Students can learn more about residential advisers and dorm living at reslife.tamu.edu.