With the spring semester nearing its end, University Housing Services is pleased to announce this term’s recipients of the Resident Assistant (RA) Scholarship award. The RA Scholarship is presented to resident assistants (RAs) who exemplify success in the classroom and the RA leadership role. This semester, four $500 academic scholarships were awarded to exceptional students.
A committed and empathetic resident assistant, Calvin Putterlik was an exceptional candidate for the RA Scholarship.
“Receiving this scholarship impacts me greatly,” said Putterlik. “I have financial responsibilities both back at home and at school, and this scholarship alleviates some of the stress. It also allows me to allocate more of my time toward schoolwork and being the best RA I can be!”
Despite facing challenges with balancing responsibilities, Putterlik attributes learning valuable skills and pushing through procrastination to his position as an RA.
“Being an RA has greatly improved that bad habit,” said Putterlik. “I have had to learn some excellent time management because, while being a student is demanding, you can equally say the same about the RA position.”
When asked about advice to give to new RAs, Putterlik mentions keeping an open mind as a key element to being successful in the position.
“I have been approached by a large number of residents where I had no idea how to help them, but by doing research or asking them questions I was able to become more knowledgeable on their situations/problems,” Putterlik said. “With this, I was able to figure out how to help them and what resources they needed, and because I kept an open mind it allowed me to make friends and help others with similar situations.”
Financial awards such as the RA Scholarship are made possible by the generous support of our community. Check out Giving.IllinoisState.edu for information on how you can contribute to student success.
