Christina C. Assistant Director Of Admissions

I loved my time working in Residence Life! Community is very important at NMU, and I think one of the things that I brought to the table was the sense of empowerment and access to knowledge/information. At NMU we have a very involved house/hall government system to allow students to make decisions about their community and environment ranging from collectively deciding community standards, when can we expect reasonable quiet, what happens when some leaves their laundry unattended in the washer too long, to how do we manage conflict when our suitemates are leaving dirty dishes in the bathroom too long. Our approach goes beyond traditional programing models. We were teaching residents that they all have an opportunity to be influential, informed, and be involved in creating a community they can thrive in. I personally learned that the students who need us the most aren't necessarily the ones volunteering to create or attend activities, and sometimes the biggest impact you can have is on the quiet ones or the "naughty" ones. As a young professional I struggled with overcoming my desire to be friends or buddies with everyone in the building. I learned to be more confident in my ability to manage conflict and discontent.  You can't make everyone happy all the time, but you can make them feel heard and valued. One thing I struggled with, as many people do in a live in position, was balancing my work/life. Residence life is wonderful, but you do need to be intentional with scheduling in the things that recharge you. I also really encourage RD's to take advantage of the tuition benefit! Taking Master's classes not only benefits you in the obvious ways, it also gives you an opportunity to interact with other "adults" which can be a great outlet and an opportunity to expand your social circle and your connections in the community. In fact I fell into my current role in Admissions because the woman leading the hiring committee was in my program and suggested I apply. I hope that helps!

June 11, 2026 01:40 PM