As a resident advisor for Monican Centre, Allison Weed ’24 said having her own room is a nice perk. But the real benefits are the deep bonds she builds with the students she oversees.
“I’ve really made a connection with my residents,” she said. “I genuinely love talking to them. Every time I see them it’s like I can talk to them for an hour.“
Not only that, but being a resident advisor has helped Weed get closer to members of her own class.
“It’s opened the door to friendships and connections in other areas,” she said. “I look back at some of my friends – we didn’t know each other in my freshman and sophomore years – and I’m just so happy that I met them.”
Weed is a resident advisor through the Ambrose Society, which is designed to deepen the experience of upperclassmen Austin Scholars by having them engage in leadership roles within service and across campus, such as resident advisors, teaching assistants and peer mentors.
“More often than not, as (a resident advisor for freshmen students), you have residents come to you because they’re navigating everything for the first time,” she explained. “I felt I had a great experience my freshman year and I want to be able to provide that same experience to other freshmen classes.”
Hospitality is in Weed’s nature, and she’s been surrounded by it for most of her life. Her brother and fellow Warrior, Aiden Weed ‘26, previously had a brain tumor at the age of 13.
“It was a very lucky situation – his doctors were amazing,” she recalled. “They caught it very quickly and were able to fully remove it. He’s a sophomore here and he’s currently switching to a nursing major. He wants to work in oncology like the nurses that helped him.”
As a communication and media major with minors in marketing, public relations and theological studies, Weed’s dream is to one day work for a nonprofit that specializes in cancer research or patient care. She has had internships with the Pink Lemonade Stand Challenge and the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Hampshire.
“My brother had a wish through the Massachusetts branch, and ever since then I’ve been really passionate about hoping to work somewhere like that,” she said.
Already an Austin Scholar, Weed applied for the Ambrose Society in her sophomore year. She was assigned to Monican the following year and she’s been there ever since.
“I definitely recommend becoming a resident advisor,” she said. “It’s definitely been one of the biggest things that’s helped me grow the most here, in terms of going out of my comfort zone and pushing myself.”
