Reslife in Summer

In Summer,

The school year is done and the question on people's mind is what does a RCD once the residents go?

A lot, my friends, a lot. 

For starters, though the students are summer vacation, we still live on the college campus...this is our permanent home while working at the university.

And for many this role is a 12-month position meaning that you are expected to work in the midst of the breaks. 

So here are a few things that you  may find someone with a live-in position might be doing in summer:

Working Summer School Housing 

Working with summer conferences - during the breaks of a school year many schools because conference sites for kids camps to adult groups for various reasons

Planning Training for the start of the school year 

Going through Training 

Preparing for the School Year

Meeting students during their summer orientation

And on occasion, taking a vacation or two before the school year starts.

In writing this post, this song from Disney's Frozen kept playing in my mind. 

Enjoy and until next time, I'm Rena in Reslife (in Summer).

Recap of the Past 3 Years

Hello Reslife friends and readers,

Just a quick recap or update as I haven't published a post in 3 years to this site!

July 2015 - June 2016

This was my last year at NAU as an RHD...I felt a very strong spiritual pull and calling to go to Dallas, TX and put in my resignation with NAU around November/December 2015 for the end of the 15-16 Academic year with no job or home in site...the craziest thing I've ever done!

A lot of things happened in the midst of this time: bonds with peers, new side hustles and business ventures, resparks of old working teams, a friend's wedding, roller coaster of emotions, staff changes, career change thoughts, and just life overall.

By the end of April 2016 I was blessed to have a job offer with a home included at my now current role in Dallas, TX.

July 2016 - June 2017

I moved to Dallas, TX and started my new residence life role as a Residential Community Director (RCD) at Southern Methodist University (SMU). In this new role, I oversee 3 buildings that collectively form one of our commons on campus. I work with a live in faculty member, supervise 11 RAs, and a grad student!

It is a role that is both similar and very different to my positions in the past. 

It definitely comes with its challenges but it was an exciting first year!

In the midst of this year, life also happened including getting baptized as an adult, fostered a dog, reconnecting with old friends, establishing and connecting to my Dallas family, dating, and more.

Also, my original supervisor received a promotion/job change in the company and I took a chance to go for the position! It was a blessing to given a first and second round interview, but ultimately I did not get the job so I am still an RCD. I quite enjoy my new boss lady and I am grateful for the experience however it did leave me wondering what's next?

July 2017 - December 2017

It's year 2 at SMU and it has been a bit of a weird year. 

I found myself comfortable in the sense that I know more in Year 2 than I did in Year 1 in regards to my role. Yet I was also quite frustrated in things that I seemingly have no control over that seemed to completely derail me.  Also, that what's next question looming over me in my career and life left me not being...well me (Rice-Lovin' Rena).  

In my role with work, things were moving full speed ahead and nonstop. My community was actually stronger, though I felt disconnected. My to dos were getting done, however the to do list was/still is never completed - something new is always being added. The work/life balance or separation wasn't present and I was contemplating the purpose and value behind my to-dos.

At the same time, life was also happening: authentic personal relationships with colleagues were being formed and crafted, dating led to a relationship with a great guy which turned into a long distance relationship (all of which is quite new), family came to visit, fostered another dog (while realizing dog owner may not be in the cards for me at the moment), got sick for a few months, and kind of had my energy zapped and fell into a negative space (it was the worst)

January 2018 - Now

Towards the end of 2017, post Thanksgiving I started to make some real strides to heal and work on me. I got back into church and strengthening my spiritual connections, I saw someone to process the negative space I was in and the frustrations I was having. Moving in this new year, trying to do things and associate with people that build me up and not tear me down.

This past week I had the great pleasure to attend two conferences: NYU Student Affairs Conference and the SWACUHO Annual Conference in San Marcos, TX. I've always stated that work conferences to me or the equivalent of church revivals but for my profession so a work revival if you will. 

Coming back from the both of them I can assure you that is exactly what they did!!! I am reconnecting with my purpose and why and I can see the dream ahead.

Not only did I get the chance to be reenergized in my work, during this time of travel I had an opportunity to connect with family and close friends fueling the other part of my soul!

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Until Next Time, I am Rena in Reslife!

Real Life with Me

Hi! 

It has been quite some time since I've last wrote. Two years to be in fact and I've learned quite some things since that time.

As you know, I completed grad school to start my professional work in residence life and that is exactly what I have been doing these past two years. 

Working with the lovely yet challenging and ready to take the world first year residents of my hall and the ever so strong, fierce, and independent upperclassmen that make up my staff made me realize that I want to do a bit more with my work. 

Honestly I got into this career because I'm a dreamer that loves working with people and inspiring them to dream big and go after that. Yet dreaming is pointless if you have no idea how to function in real life (says the woman still living in a freshmen residence hall). 

College, particularly when staying in the residence hall, is where one starts to figure out how to transition from the life they knew as a child to the one that they create and choose as an adult. In order to get to that life you must learn some real life skills along the way and part of choosing the career and profession that I do is to teach that to the younger generations. 

With this being a responsibility that I simply cannot ignore, I am hoping to embark on a Real Life with Rena (or an RHD) series via social media (YouTube, Blog, etc) and in-person sessions to really make a difference in the hundreds of students that come through my doors a year. 

To all you fellow student affairs professionals and reslifers out there, I ask for your opinions, topics, and suggestions out there as I embark on this new journey in my reslife career.

Thanks for reading and until next time I'm an RHD with a Real Life dream!

The Student has become the Master!

This post comes a few weeks late but I have officially graduated. That is right... I now have a Master of Education degree in College Student Affairs. It is crazy...and I will also be starting my very first full-time job in the field/ever as a full-time Residence Hall Director at Northern Arizona University in a few short weeks!! That's right this girl from the East Coast is moving way west to Flagstaff, AZ!! I am so excited and even though legally I have been an adult for years...I am about to take my first real steps as an adult and out of school!!

I know this post was intended to be a documentary of my life in grad school and now that grad school is completed...this might be the end of our journey. In other words I am not sure there will be another post on this blog.

Until next time feel free to stay up to date with me on ciggychat.blogspot.com!!

Much Love,
Rena

Culminating

This past week, my cohort members and I presented our culminating presentations for our grad program. Even though we are still taking electives that presentation signified us completing our work in the grad program. Even though the presentation day has came and passed...I am still processing the fact that this graduate journey is almost to an end. Immediately after our presentations a couple of classmates and I went and bought our graduation robes which furthered the realization of this moment.

Still in shock but needed to comment,

Rena Tilisa Gore

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!!

It is day 15 of this new year but since this is the first time I am writing in 2013 that statement still rings true!

One of the best times about a new year is that it is almost a new start a chance to redo or try something new, reflect on the past and explore where you want to go.

That makes this time of the year quite perfect in working on my culminating project for graduate school. At Rutgers in the College Student Affairs program our  big culminating project includes a 25 page learning narrative. The learning narrative essentially is a reflection of all my learning thus far in this two year grad program.

Currently I am reflecting on the past two years and it has been challenging, emotional, annd fun all at the same time and I think this is leading me toward a great start of 2013 and hopefully a more challenging, emotional, and fun experience after I graduate!

I have around 127 days or so till I graduate (another cohort member is keeping count) so I have much more learning to do and experiences to embark on but I am excited for this final chapter of grad school and  cannot wait to tell you all about them.

Till next time I'm Rena!

Happy Birthday MACUHO!!

This past week I had the pleasure of celebrating in MACUHO's 40th birthday for its annual conference!!

This was my first time coming to MACUHO and boy am I glad that I went to this one. The conference this year was in Baltimore, MD and we stayed at the Tremont Plaza Hotel & Grand Historic Venue!

This was the living room section of the suite that I stayed in. There was also a cute kitchenette! I was truly living the suite life on the 29th floor!! 

This photo above is the hallway that connects the hotel part of the Tremont Plaza to where most of our sessions and activities were in the Conference area section. 

The hallway tells the history of the building dating back to the 1700s. 

This was probably one of my favorite places and it was the Lady's Lounge aka the restroom on the lobby level of the conference area!! As you can see it was gorgeous!! When you enter there were two steps to take down into this massive area. The photo shows the lounge stide of the rest room and you can see part of the many stalls there. There were also great grand mirrors in this lounge.

In the library I took a photo for #MACUHODiversity.

This grand room is called the Corinthian Room and was where we had most of our big group activities...the luncheons and dinners and opening reception all took place in here.

This was my main course at the dinner on Thursday night...it look great and tasted even better. To follow that was a great cupcake from the local Cupcakery.

This is a photo of Julie (Rutgers Camden and cohort mate), Patrick (Rutgers New Brunswick Professor and VP of Student Affairs), and I just before the closing dinner ceremony!

Outside of these photos I had a really great time it was the perfect place to relax, reinvent yourself, feel a sense of renewal, and reconnect with other peers and colleagues in the field as well as network and meet others from different institutions and vendors. I even won a great basket in the charity basket raffle from Temple University!!

That is all for now. Till next time I am Rena!