What do our former Hall Directors
and Graduate Assistants say
about their experiences?
"For me, some of my courses were enhanced because I lived them. They were aimed at dealing with people in various roles. Personalities and team dynamics were all part of the courses. A Residence Life staff person encounters these dynamics almost daily. The Hall Director position helped me to gain visibility with very senior executives at my work by giving me increased confidence in my abilities as a speaker and analytical problem solver."
-Elmer Cherry, Masters of Business Administration
"Courses in my MBA curriculum class were directly applicable in my role as a hall director. I was able to take the theories and applications learned in my class and take it to my staff and able to apply them directly. Dealing with a diverse population of students and staff alike taught me to live each day of my life as a learning experience. It was important to put myself out there and let everyone know that I was there to learn and grow. I would not trade this experience for anything else."
-Abhi Sharma, Masters of Business Administration
"Though I got a taste of supervising as an undergrad, I ate from the supervision buffet as a hall director at UD. Much of my supervision style today was forged, tested, refined, and polished while I was a hall director. I found my academic program to be particularly helpful in supervising students, as well as working closely with many professionals in the department. I was very glad to have had the supervision experience. I used my counseling skills as a major part of the dynamic relationship with my RA staff, which in turn made me a more skilled supervisor. I also had positive experiences with supervisors and mentors as a hall director, which significantly impacts my work now. As a Hall Director, I was pushed appropriately as needed. Challenge didn't always come in the ways I expected, but definitely in ways that were meaningful and very helpful."
-Drew Hatton, Masters of Education, College Counseling and Student Affairs Practice in Higher Education
"My Hall Director experience was very instrumental in obtaining my current position as a teacher. When I was looking for a job, I felt confident with the interview process and I attribute a lot of my confidence to the experiences I had being a part of Residence Life. Management and organization is very important in my field, and these skills definitely developed and enhanced through my experience as a hall director. My experience as a Hall Director prepared me to be able to receive and give feedback in a constructive manner. Classroom management is an essential skill to being an effective teacher. Supervising RAs and managing the residence halls prepared me to be a better classroom manager. I learned to have high expectations for myself, as well for as my staff and residents. This has carried over into the way that I currently perform my job and the expectations that I have for my students in the classroom."
-Dana Murphy, Master of Education, School Counseling
"I was able to develop on a number of levels. I feel this position complemented my academics well and gave me an experience unlike any other available on campus. I would strongly recommend the HD position to anyone who is invested in their overall development and who wishes to be challenged. I feel that the HD position has prepared me well with the skills and the resources I need to enter any field and excel. I feel that the HD position supplemented my course work very well. I was able to put in practice many of the concepts I learned about in my leadership course in my position as a HD. My professors were able to see that I grasped the concepts because I was putting them to use in my daily life. I also feel that in many respects the HD position elevated my expectations of my next position in that the experiences that I was able to get as an HD were wonderful. During my internship in the Mayor's office in Baltimore it became clear to me that I had developed skills set in the areas of professional development and interpersonal skills that far surpassed many of my colleagues in a similar position."
-Sendy Guerrier, Masters of Public Administration
"Being in the Communication Department with a focus on Interpersonal Communication, I feel that many courses educationally enhanced my role as a Hall Director including Intercultural Communication, Communication Theories, and Communication in Conflict. I felt listened to and I felt that people cared about me. Overall, I felt very supported. As a professional now, I use a lot of what I learned about relationships at Delaware in my current position. I feel so grateful to have been a part of such a pristine organization and I will never forget where I came from regardless of where I ultimately end up."
-Michelle Pino, Masters of Arts, Personal Communication
"Through my interaction with the students, my fellow Hall Directors, and professional Residence Life staff, my studies were enriched, and my understanding of health and social behaviors were influenced greatly. I was able to bring reality into the classroom. What I learned inside the classroom I was able to put into action. I know that my success as a student related directly to my experience as a Hall Director. The relationships that I created kept me motivated and open minded. I began to think outside the box. Being involved with so people from a variety of backgrounds with different views, opinions and ideas challenged me both as a person and a professional. That is what I benefited from the most. Each person that I met through my role as a Hall Director gave me new perspective. As a Hall Director I had a team of people who guided me and encouraged me to achieve my educational, professional and personal goals."
-Jessica Lang, Masters of Health Promotion
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