Day in the life of a Residence Life Intern
When I started in September, I never really knew what to expect from the role, I just knew that it aligned with my vision of where I saw myself career-wise after graduating from Uni.
Being the first Residence Life Intern is daunting, but the team has always been incredibly supportive of my progress within the role, and they have helped me to adapt to an environment that changes every single day. It’s the perfect role that balances between the corporate and the social environments. I have been able to significantly enhance my administrative skills while also being interpersonal and student-focused through the managing and running of events. You may have seen me at some cinema, craft, and pet therapy events!
My day-to-day
No two days are ever the same in this position. I’m either working to respond to the tonnes of emails sent through or I’m out and about running events. It’s no lie that I very much enjoy the latter; it’s really fun to get a sense of what students like and would engage in, adapting feedback into making sure those living in halls this year and in future years have an exciting and active experience. However, there are a lot of admin tasks involved in making sure these events happen in the first place.
What I’ve learned
The role has helped me to be more diligent in my planning and has made me more confident to network with others within the department and also with external stakeholders. I’m always working on different systems, whether it be the accommodation portal, LUU Engage, and even social media to make sure everyone can access our halls social programme. A couple of months ago it may have felt overwhelming, but now it feels as though I can advise others on how things work, and I can do this at the comfort of my desk with a cup of coffee. I have been able to network with so many people on my day-to-day and even had the opportunity to have dinner with Residence Life teams from the US. The hardest part of my day would be choosing from all the opportunities available to me.
Highlights
I would say the highlight so far has been gaining experience in facilitating our Big Night In event and packing every single purple box by hand, ensuring no one missed out. With help from the whole team, we managed to get them all packaged up and sent out to everyone on time. Believe me when I say that it was probably one of the most stressful weeks I have ever experienced, but so worth it! Alongside helping with Hall Execs at different sites, the role helps introduce you to the world of management and provides you with a great foundation in leadership. I already had experience from working in an LUU committee beforehand but being a Residence Life intern equips you with all the relevant skills that you need for so many job opportunities in the future. I could not recommend getting involved with Residence Life enough!
Ken Quimpo – Residence Life Intern
