Resident assistants are regular students, too

By Sarah McDonough
Co-Managing and Advertising editor

Junior Amanda Van Leeuwe may seem like your typical Resident Assistant – involved on campus and friendly to new faces, but there is much more about this Education major then meets the eye.

For starters, Van Leeuwe grew up on a farm and continues to work on her family’s corn and soy bean crops when she goes home for breaks. The time commitment and dedication that go along with the stamina to farm has taught Van Leeuwe many lessons.

“I learned an appreciation for people; on a farm you depend on a lot of people,” said Van Leeuwe.

One element of her job as a first floor RA for the all-female dorm, Skemp, is that she enjoys the opportunity to meet new people.

“I wouldn’t have had the chance to meet [the residents] otherwise, which is a sad thing because there are a lot of really cool people here.”

Third floor Skemp resident, Gabriela Limonciello, had the same reaction regarding fellow residents.

“It’s nice living in an all girls dorm because we all go through the same stuff and you end up living next to your close friends,” said Limonciello. “It’s like a sorority here.”

Besides hanging out with friends, Van Leeuwe spends her time preparing to be a teacher by helping tutor fellow SMU students in the area of math and government. She also helps in the basement of the McHenry Library for the 1st through 6th grade Literacy Clinic that takes place there during the week.

“I like to help people and always loved school and learning. I want to help people enjoy school and with teaching you can influence so many lives that you couldn’t with any other job.”