Kaleb Ode

Resident Advisor

During my second year at Western Washington University I was hired on as a Resident Advisor for WWU's SHADO community. The Sigma, Highland, Alpha, Delta, and Omega residence halls are located towards the middle and outside of Western's campus. Having previously lived in Edens Hall on the Honors Floor I was not quite sure what to expect.

 

Resident Advisers must be personable, adaptable, confident, work well both in teams and as an individual, and be able to continue being an effective student. As the Resident Advisor for Highland Stack 1 I was given the particularly difficult task of fostering a sense of community in a residence hall whose doors open up to the elements. This often discouraged residents from leaving their doors open. To counteract this I organized events, both on-campus and off-campus, to get residents out of their rooms and meeting those living around them.

 

Certainly one of my most rewarding experiences while at WWU, I chose not to reapply for a second year in favor of living off campus, gaining that experience, and more freely determining my schedule.