The 2007-2008 Carpenter Basement

It was a very bittersweet moment today as I looked around at all 17 of my girls who were waiting for me in the lobby with cupcakes they baked and a big card they had all signed, thanking me for being their RA. It was our last floor meeting and while we had some nuts and bolts types of things to take care of, I thought I'd take a moment to tell them how much I've learned, how much fun I've had, and how much sleep I lost by living with them. They drove me crazy... SO crazy sometimes... more so toward the end, but looking back on it now, I couldn't have been more fortunate to have the girls I had.

I'm really just proud. A lot of those girls had a lot of obstacles to overcome - big, hairy, ugly obstacles, and they rose above. They didn't always do it gracefully, or legally, but they learned from their mistakes. At least, I like to think they did. And the ones who didn't learn... well, they will. Hopefully it'll be sooner than later. I'm also proud that they were able to come together to form a real community. A strong, supportive, weird, crazy, community. Not all their lifestyles meshed, and there were a pretty wide range of interests, but everybody took time to find common ground with everybody else. I'm also proud of myself. Watching your RA do this job is NOTHING, I repeat, NOTHING like doing it. I tell everybody who asks me that an RA has to do about nine hundred things you never see your RA doing. This job is just as much behind-the-scenes as it is center stage. I'm proud I made it. It took a toll on me, definitely. It took a toll socially, emotionally, academically, but I made it and I can honestly say I think I did it well. I probably should have been more supportive at times, harder other times, and more present a lot more towards the end, but for someone who had no idea what they were getting themselves into... well, I think I did a decent job.

And this card they made me (that made me cry..) with messages like "You were there for me when I needed you most," and "you made the transition to college so much easier for me.." helps me support that theory.

In one sense, I'm glad that I'm not going to be an RA again next year because I want to always remember this floor and these girls as my residents. I don't want new ones. I want to keep these girls in my memory and in my heart. I want to call them "my girls" forever. Sometimes they didn't make the best choices, and a lot of times I wanted to smack them silly, but I care about them very much and can't wait to see their track meets and white coat ceremonies. I can't wait to meet their residents when they become RAs themselves. I can't wait to see all those senior recitals and student directed performances. I can't wait to see them succeed as upperclassmen.

They're my girls. They'll always be my girls. And no matter where they go or what they do, this year is a part of them (and me), and that is the tie that will always bind us as the 2007-2008 Carpenter Basement.