Helping students navigate their residential experience

How long have you been working for Housing and Residence Life?

It will be about three full years around October, so when I finish this year it'll be about four years.

What does your job look like?

Within HRL I do a good bit of things. I’m a catch-all, or secretary, as I describe it. So answering phones, answering emails, taking walk-ins, showing people around. Sometimes I do lockouts. The first week of school is super busy with lockouts; I’m always walking around campus. Really any errands or tasks anyone in the office needs done I do. 

Do you have a favorite story from your time working here?

Sophomore year there was this gentleman who came over from Peru. He had just shown up in the United States and he came into our office because he didn’t like the off-campus arrangement he had. Pretty much what I did was I took him all around campus. He was a graduate student, so he was older, but he had never been to the States before. I took him around campus, I took him to the off-campus housing offices, took him to Squires, showed him the dining halls, all that good stuff. And we ended up keeping in touch because he was so grateful for my help! I still follow him on Facebook you know, I keep up with him. But definitely that was a standout case that I had where I feel like I really made an impact on his first couple days in the United States.

What advice would you give to someone who is new at Virginia Tech and is nervous about housing?

Reach out to someone! I know especially HRL deals with more situations than students looking for housing. Just reach out, and someone can help you. Blacksburg can be intimidating, but it’s not as intimidating as you think when you first move in. You figure out a routine quickly, and you'll figure it out.

What advice do you have for someone who is considering working for Housing and Residence Life?

It’s a great job to have! If you play your cards right, you can make connections in different areas of Virginia Tech. There are a lot of things to do within Student Affairs and the Housing and Residence Life umbrella. Get involved and meet so many people in so many different departments. As a student it is such a great job to have. They are so courteous of the fact that I am a student first. That’s the great thing about working in an environment like this. I would definitely recommend to reach out when we are hiring!

Do you have anything you want to mention that we haven't talked about?

I got so lucky with this job. I’ve made really good friends with all my supervisors, I go to them for recommendation letters and I go to them for really anything that I could need. I would consider them all friends. This job has given me so many opportunities, and it looks really nice on a resume. I’ve gained so many skills that I don’t know where else I would’ve been doing that stuff in school.

What is next for you?

I will continue to work here until I graduate and train someone to step into my role once I’m gone. It’s going to be very sad but, like I said, I am so grateful to have been here for three years. I couldn’t have asked for a better job to have while I was in school!