Students walk by them on the way to their rooms and sometimes they knock to enforce the 12 a.m. curfew. Samantha Neale, business sophomore from Holden, is a Resident Assistant, more commonly known as an RA, for Millet Hall.Being an RA is one of the many work study options that Nicholls offers and Neale chose it simply because she needed a job.
Neale says that anyone can try to get the job, but the training is vigorous. “There is so much training! It lasts around three weeks,” Neale said, “During all of this time, Housing makes sure that we are prepared to handle any situation or problem that the job may throw our way.”
While most desk shifts last around four hours, “we’re never really off duty. If someone needs something at two in the morning, they call us.” This inconvenience, Neale says, is the worst part of her job. That, and the 12 a.m. to 8 a.m. shifts that they occasionally have to work, “The house moms don’t work the weekends so, all the RAs and SAs in the building rotate having this shift,” Neale said.
Despite these minor trials, Neale says that she prefers having an on campus job rather than off campus. “I don’t have to commute,” Neale said, “and I get to study on the job and show up in my pajamas.”
The best part of Neale’s job she says is that she gets to meet many new people.
Her most memorable Nicholls moment actually happened at an RA event last fall. “At Scholar’s they had a Watermelon Day for everyone to meet each other,” Neale said, “it’s how I met one of my best friends, we both wanted salt for our watermelon.”
When Neale is not studying for her bachelor’s in international business management, she spends her free time sleeping. “I take a nap basically every day.”
Her favorite food in the cafeteria is the French toast. “Kudos to whoever decided to make that.” Currently on her iPod playlists are The Protomen and, “I’ve really been into She and Him lately,” she says.
Neale loves her job as Resident Assistant and the opportunities it has given her to meet new people and the experiences it has given her.
