Being an RA for Pre-College!

Every summer, Emory hosts the Pre-College Program, an academic program for high school students. It gives college-bound rising juniors and rising seniors an exciting glimpse of academic and residential life at a top-ranked national university.

This week, we asked Elyssa Hausman, an RA for the program, a few questions about her experience so far!

1. How did you hear about being a Pre-College Resident Advisor (RA)?
   Because I am an RA during the academic year, I heard about being a Pre-College RA through some of my best friends who were also involved in Residence Life during the year.
2. What made you decide to apply?
   I think what was most influential in my applying to be a Pre-College RA was hearing the first hand experiences that my friends had through the program as RAs and wanting to have a similar experience for myself. I love what I do with Residence Life and Housing during the academic year and I really wanted an opportunity to continue to do what I love.
3. What are you most looking forward to as an RA?
   I am most looking forward to seeing the growth in the residents not just as students and scholars but as friends and family. One of the most important things in life is building relationships that last beyond a specific moment in time and I am excited to see the connections that are built in the two weeks that these students are with us.
4. What’s something you’ve learned about yourself so far by being an RA?
   In my time as an RA, I have learned that it is the simplest and smallest of gestures that mean the most in the end.
5. What’s Emory like during the summer?
   During the summer, Emory is a completely different environment, while still providing the same experience! Instead of students, there are lots of small children that fill the halls; instead of professors, there are camp counselors and chaperones; but at the end of the day, the conversations, the laughter and the memories are all the same! Emory is a one of a kind of place that I could never replace!
6. What’s Atlanta like in the summer?
   I think the thing that has been most fun that I’ve done so far this summer was a staff bonding trip to Sky Zone! It was the first time I had ever been, and it was great to just be a kid with a bunch of friends who have to always have their professional hats on in this job!
7. As a college student, what is one thing you’d wish you known starting your senior year of high school?
   I wish I would have known that everything would work out in the end – I think that as a society we place so much pressure on ourselves and each other that we lose sight of the milestones in front of us, and I wish someone would have told me to just let go and trust that things would be okay and I’d be at the institution I was meant to be at!

Elyssa Hausman, 16C*
Psychology
Boca Raton, FL

What’s up with the skeleton?

* Emory University uses these abbreviations to indicate graduation year. In this case, Elyssa will graduate from Emory College of Emory University with her bachelor’s degree in Psychology.

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