Welcome to your new dorm! As you start to unpack your things and move in, you’ll meet many new faces. Two very important faces, however, are your Resident Life Director and Assistant Resident Life Director. This dynamic team is a vital part of your first year at Grace.
So, what does a resident director do? Your RD is in charge of all things dorm-related. They manage dorm events, resolve safety and maintenance issues, and help find solutions to any conflicts that may come up in your hall or room. And perhaps most of all, they are there to ensure that you have the support you need in this new living and learning environment.
We reached out to the residence directors and assistant residence directors at Grace and asked them a few questions so you can start getting to know these extraordinary people.
Resident Director for Apartments
Do you have any unique hobbies?
I love crocheting! I’ve made many of my own scarves and hats.
If you could give your freshman self any advice, what would it be?
I would tell freshman year Maia that it’s okay to be different and not to hide her culture or dim her personality. Everyone isn’t going to understand your personality, and that’s okay.
What’s a favorite college memory?
One time my friends demanded a ransom for my pillow pet named Sir Pepe. The ransom was 26 blue M&Ms. And yes I still have the pillow pet.
What are you looking forward to most this year?
My hope for the year is to help support people going through transition and create a fun but God-honoring community.
Resident Director of Beta Hall and Indiana Hall
What’s an embarrassing college moment?
I accidentally mistook a guy for a girl based on the name I was given for secret Santa.
Do you have any advice for graduating seniors?
A new chapter is just now starting. Never forget that we’re never done learning and growing, and don’t expect everything to fall in place exactly how you want it to right away.
Do you have any surprising interests?
I’m a huge fan of the sci-fi/fantasy genre: books, movies, TV shows, or video games.
Any secret talents?
I’m deceptively good at Connect 4
Assistant Resident Director of Beta Hall and Indiana Hall
What are you looking forward to this year?
I am so looking forward to having fun!! I love deep, meaningful conversations, AND I’ve been learning more and more how to take joy in the everyday- and I want more than anything to do that with residents!!
What was your unrealistic dream job?
I wanted to be an author, which sounds realistic, but for me, it definitely isn’t because there is no way I could sit still and write that long. I’d rather just talk about it than write it down. I also wanted to be a nurse and realized that the sight of blood makes me nauseous.
What is your favorite aspect of working at Grace?
The transformation! It’s wild what living on a college campus can do to a person in just one year. I’ll never get enough of it.
What is one unhinged thing you did as a child?
One time I took a can of paint that was on the counter, dumped it all over the floor in the kitchen and swam in it. I’d still do that now, honestly.
Resident Director of Alpha Hall
What is one thing you wish you knew in college?
I grew up in Arizona, so when I came to Grace as a student I was a long way from home. I think I felt like I had to be strong, so I never mentioned how much I missed home! Really, it’s ok to tell others that you miss home. Odds are, they feel the same way!
Do you have any weird childhood stories?
One year at Thanksgiving I went off by myself to the backyard and ate some grass, just because little me really wanted to know what it tasted like. Then it sort of became a tradition and every year for about five years, I would sneak out at Thanksgiving to eat some grass.
What motivates you in this position?
I want to give students the best I can give! In the words of Leslie Knope, “Work hard at work worth doing!”
You have the evening at home, what do you pick to do?
This is random, but I love picking up cheap paintings from goodwill and painting my own additions in the background.
Assistant Resident Director of Alpha Hall
What are you looking forward to about this role?
I lived in Alpha all three years at Grace, and it was such a huge part of my growth as a woman and in my spiritual walk. I am really excited to see this group of women experience growth, fun, and good memories.
What is one random fact about you?
I think I deserve a little treat every day. For example, I think I’ve bought coffee every day this week.
What was your unrealistic dream job as a kid?
I wanted to be a ballerina. Did I ever take a dance class? No. Have I ever since? No. But I saw The Nutcracker once and was convinced that was the dream.
What is one thing that you learned as a college student?
With so many things to get involved in, it can be easy to lose sight of your needs and boundaries. I learned that it’s okay to take some time to myself, to say no to things sometimes, and to have moments of quiet.
Resident Director of Omega and The Lodge
What was the biggest adjustment coming from Florida?
My undergrad experience was at Cedarville, and the biggest adjustment was the weather. There was one time I missed almost a whole week of classes because I assumed they’d be canceled for the snow!
Do you have any nicknames?
I had a friend in college who I went to everything with. We became known as Big Papi and Little Papi. So some of my friends still call me little Papi, which has become Papito or Paps.
Have you ever been pranked?
In college, someone swapped out my underwear with my roommate’s underwear. I noticed the following morning when I opened my top drawer and did not recognize the tighty whities.
What’s a piece of advice for a new student?
Failure is a part of life. It’s what you do with the failure that matters.
Assistant Resident Director of Lodge and Omega
Do you have any embarrassing college stories?
This is more of a recurring embarrassing story, but I still, for the life of me, cannot figure out Westy. I get lost in Westy every. Single. Time. I go over there.
Do you like any unconventional food pairings? (We won’t judge you — we promise)
I am not sure how odd this is, but every time I have soup, I like to also have pickles with it. Not pickles in the soup, but pickles as a side dish to the soup. Specifically garlic dill.
Do you have any advice for your freshman self?
I would tell my freshman self to 1.) Get some sleep. Rest is important, especially a semi-consistent sleep schedule, and 2.) Get to know the faculty/staff! I wish I would have reached out to more professors, the Res Life staff, etc. and just gotten to know them. The faculty/staff at Grace truly care so much about the students and have so much knowledge/wisdom to share.
What is one bizarre thing that you did as a child?
I am not sure if this is the kind of bizarre you were looking for, but I watched an OBSCENE amount of Tom and Jerry as a child. Truly, I think I have seen every episode of Tom and Jerry that has been made pre-2010.
Resident Director for Westminster Hall and Commuters
If you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life, which would it be?
Ahh, so hard to pick! I love music and have so many genres I listen to. If I could only pick one, it would probably be the Rumours album by Fleetwood Mac.
What are you most looking forward to this year?
The opportunities to build relationships and have conversations with Grace students excites me the most! I get a front row seat at seeing the Lord work in incredible ways in the lives of students and also walk with them in some of the hardest moments. Getting to take part in that is a privilege and joy to me!
If you were a salad, what type of dressing would you have?
Probably a strawberry vinaigrette because it reminds me of summer and is my go-to when I make a salad. And now I’m craving a salad!
If you could only use a longboard or roller skates as your main method of transportation for the rest of your life, which would you choose and why?
I can’t say I’m confident in longboarding or roller skating, but if I had to choose one, then it would probably be roller skating because it always looks fun and impressive when I see people doing it, haha! Plus, you can’t say you’re in a bad mood usually when you’re on skates.
Resident Director of Apartments and Perimeter Housing
What was your childhood dream job?
I wanted to be an Indycar driver! This summer, I got to work around that league for a bit. There’s a young driver that goes to my home church, and I was able to travel to some races and sell merchandise for him, including the Indy 500, which was a complete blast.
What inspired you to continue your time at Grace as part of our Res life staff?
I loved Residence Life as an undergrad student, and I didn’t want to let go of the ministry that happens on this campus quite yet! It’s a wonderful opportunity to grow in discipleship while still learning through community.
Any embarrassing college stories?
Oh I’m sure there’s many, but that’s hard to think of right now. I never once ate the stir fry from Alpha. However, I did get pizza from the Little Caesar’s dumpster at least a couple times a semester.
What is one thing that no one knows about you?
Okay, that’s a fun one. One thing that very few people know is that I wrote down what I did every day during my college years in a note on my phone! College flies by, and I have a poor memory, but I didn’t want to forget the fun day to day stuff. So I have three years’ worth of daily memories to look at anytime on my phone.
Associate Dean, Student Affairs
What are your favorite parts of your job?
Students!! Love interacting with students!!- they make the job so fun and so worthwhile! I love seeing them grow and mature over their time as a college student and hearing what God is teaching them. Getting to step into such a transformative time in their lives is so special and is such a blessing!
If you were in the Olympics, what sport would you participate in? (Skills not required.)
Definitely swimming. Love to swim! Especially freestyle and breaststroke.
If your life was made into a movie, who would you want to play you?
This was a hard one. Not sure. Maybe Rose Reid?
What motivates you in your career?
Students and my staff motivate me in my career. Ultimately, being a Christ-follower, I’m motivated to be a hard worker. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men” (Col. 3:23). The aspect that I’m working for the Lord is a huge motivator.
Your resident directors are excited to welcome you to campus and get to know you better. You can reach out to them by emailing them, talking to them on campus, or reaching out via their dorm social media pages. They would love to hear from you!
