Kaitlyn Allan ’10 Receives Resident Assistant of the Year Award

Kaitlyn Allan '10 is majoring in French and international studies. She holds minors in history and secondary education.

Randolph-Macon College student Kaitlyn Allan ’10 was named the Resident Assistant of the Year by the Virginia Association of College and University Housing Officers (VACUHO) at their annual conference in November 2009. The VACUHO Governing Council is comprised of housing and residence life graduate and professional staff from a dozen Commonwealth institutions.

“The conference brings together RAs from Virginia schools and gives them opportunities to teach and learn from one another,” says Allan. “I am thrilled to be the recipient of this award.”

Allan worked as a resident assistant during her sophomore year and currently serves as a Mentor Resident Assistant (MRA). “I work with a group of eight resident assistants (RAs) and help them develop their skills and answer questions they have throughout the year,” she says.

Being in charge of training and staff development this year gave Allan the opportunity to plan a two-week RA training session, an experience that prompts her to continually assess RA procedures. “Now I can look for areas where staff may need further training and help plan appropriate sessions to address those needs,” she says. “I also coordinate monthly staff development events to help foster a sense of community among RAs. When you become a resident assistant, you really become part of a close-knit, caring family.”

Allan is appreciative of the people with whom she collaborates in the college’s Office of Residence Life and Housing (ORLH). “In my three years with ORLH, Christina Brown, assistant director of resident life and housing, has really challenged me to grow as a RA and I really appreciate that,” says Allan. “My Randolph-Macon experience would not be as rewarding without the relationships I’ve formed with everyone who works in the ORLH.”

Allan, who hails from Midlothian, Virginia, is a French and international studies major, with minors in history and secondary education.

For more information about R-MC’s Office of Residence Life and Housing, visit http://www.rmc.edu/Offices/residence-life.aspx