Makayla Jacobs

As Senior Resident Assistant (SRA), I serve as the leader for a team of thirteen resident assistants (RAs) and assist in directing the operation of this team and a suite-style first year residence hall of approximately 300 residents. I serve as a liaison between the RA student staff and the professional staff by taking feedback from my team and problem solving with the building's Residence Director, as well as participate in committees as needed by the department. This requires strong communication skills and the ability to solve problems in a timely manner. In addition to assisting in the administrative work, I am also the first line of support in conflict mediation between residents or staff members and crisis management as needed by my team.

In this leadership role, I assist the Tour Coordinator in executing daily tours, school and organization group tours, and special admissions events. I also lead informational sessions for guests to present admissions criteria, campus life, and exciting and engaging projects that students participate in on campus. I networked with faculty to gain information for prospective students and to organize visits to certain campus facilities. For large Campus Showcase events, I direct a team of seven tour guides in order to expedite the guest check-in process and then organize campus tours at the conclusion of the event.

As a resident assistant, I am over twenty-six first year engineering students of various disciplines. My job is to ensure they are successful both academically and socially. This entails monthly educational programming and on-call responsibilities. As part of the on-call duty, I am trained yearly to respond to crisis situations in the residence halls. I am responsible for meeting deadlines throughout each month and throughout the semester for writing and submitting documents and reports. I am also able to network with the Engineering Department in order to inform the residents of the opportunities and resources that are available on campus.