Countdown to Graduation: 12 Days
“I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake / I shake it off, I shake it off!”
Dearest Community Council,
Being Vice President of Community Council during my second year of college (and in Middle Earth) was truly a blessing. Things were not going according to plan when the adventure all began and there were somethings still up in the air, but somehow things worked out in the end and this became my entire world during my second year.
Community Council was where I got my first taste of what it really meant to work in Residence Life. Here is where I got to experience what it was like to be working without set hours and learning how to balance schoolwork on top of all the other things I was doing in school. I’m going to lie if I say that it was all fun and games, easy and simple – because it wasn’t. However, this is why CC deserves this appreciation post. I would not be where I am today without the training CC has provided me with.
To Susan Hardwegg: Above everyone else, you believed in me when I first began in Community Council. From the very beginning of my time as a Delegate in CC meetings, you saw potential in me and you fought strongly for me to be a part of your team. I am truly grateful because you gave me a chance to be a part of a group of people that have their own ways of showing how much we love Middle Earth and how important it was to us to serve our residents. Your continuous efforts as ProStaff to make connections with residents always inspired me to want to do the same. I am glad that I had the opportunity to have you as my supervisor and as a mentor.
To my Spirit Committee: You were a large part of the reason I stayed passionate towards my job and wanting to do the very best I could for all the other residents in Middle Earth – whether they knew who I was or not. I appreciated your dedication and commitment to our committee because the work was not easy to tackle. Today, I have seen you all grow into amazing and strong leaders in the respective areas you have taken part in. I am so glad that even for a short amount of time and in some way, you let me serve as a mentor and role model to you. Of course, it wasn’t just one way around. You prepared me to be stronger and to be more confident in what it means to be a student leader.
To BAWB Adriana: If there’s one thing that I can remember you by, it’s how much you guided me during the times where things were too tough for me to handle. You listened to me for a lot of things and that means more to me than I could ever tell you. While part of it was because we were “Burn Out Buddies,” we also grew to develop a friendship that I did not expect to create such closeness to. Thank you for not running away from me after freaking you out by our first every picture together when we met. You have been someone that has helped me push through the difficulties we experienced together. I am so glad that even after all this time, we both get to share the experience of being an RA despite being placed in different communities.
To Danny: You get a Part 2 because you deserve more appreciation. I can genuinely say that I would’ve fallen apart if I didn’t have you at my side. You were the single most person I felt the most comfortable with being vulnerable around because I knew you cared about me more than as a resident from Isengard or as a co-worker, but you cared for me as a friend. You were my closest friend on staff and I appreciate so much how much you let me just fall apart with you. In every possible way you could, you listened to me and you supported me. I know I said it a lot before and I’ll continue to say it… I love you DAAAAAANNYYYYY. I don’t know how you managed to survive hearing me say your name like that all the time, but I salute you for being able to. Thank you for being there for me any time I needed you and allowing me to share my life with you. Till we see each other again, thanks for being the Peanut Butter for my Jam. #PBandJam
To Ed: Why are you on this post? Oh, it’s so I can tell you that your poster skills are awful. LOL. Really, thank you for being someone that I was able to go to any time I needed to. You were my first insight to the RA life because you let me be Calmindon’s adopted CA. I am so glad that I got to grow alongside of you in many ways. Even more so, I’m grateful I gained a friend in you that I did not see coming when we first became friends. Thank you for letting me hang on for the ride while you served as a Returner. You kept me positive and pushed me to be stronger and better prepared for the time that I would hopefully become an RA. Thank you for continuing to stay in contact with me and allowing me to share with you what my RA life has been like. And no, you still cannot make posters for me hall. #TeamJED
With all my love,
J-Mi
Stories of the Reign 