#residentadviser

[northernstories]

This week we’re featuring our dedicated housing staff on Tumblr!

Trevor Pianga is studying mechanical engineering technology, and is originally from Livonia, Mich. He’ll be working as a Resident Adviser in Narnia House in Magers Hall this fall.

“I chose to come to NMU because it is a smaller campus compared to many schools around my hometown,” Pianga said. “Also, I enjoy the Upper Peninsula and the people who live here.“

This semester, Pianga said he looks forward to meeting his new residents and continuing to build stronger relationships with returning residents. He also looks forward to watching the residents grow as the year progresses.

“The residents should know that the residence halls are not just a place to live, but a place to form great relationships with their peers and to learn valuable life skills that will stick with them forever,” Pianga said. “They should also know that I am a very easy going person and enjoy spending as much time as I can getting to know them and making their lives great.”

The education Pianga has received from NMU is something he said he’ll cherish forever, because the learning environment is both safe and also different from that of other universities.

“NMU has given me all of the opportunities in the world to become the person I am today,” Pianga said. “I am very thankful to attend school in a place where I never feel alone or uninterested.“

[northernstories]

This week we’re featuring our dedicated housing staff on Tumblr!

Nick LeMire is studying biology with an emphasis in physiology at Northern Michigan University. LeMire is originally from Escanaba, Mich. This semester, he’ll be working as the Resident Adviser in The Bin in Halverson Hall.

LeMire said he chose NMU primarily because of the students and faculty.

“When I came to Northern’s campus for the first time, I noticed the passion and energy immediately,” LeMire said. “I knew from the campus tour and the meetings with my academic department and advisers that the environment would provide the best place for me socially and academically.”

LeMire expects to graduate in 2018, which means he isn’t fresh to the ‘beginning of semester’ patterns that tend to take place on campus.

“I am looking forward to seeing returning students and meeting new students,” he said. “Our second-year returning students have the ability to set the tone for the dynamic of the house and aid in the growth of the new students.”

[northernstories]

This week we’re featuring our dedicated housing staff on Tumblr!

Meet Autumn Palmer, a Community Adviser on the first floor of the Woodland Park Apartments. She’s originally from Southfield, Mich., and is studying psychology/behavior analysis at Northern Michigan University.

“When I first visited NMU, the thing that struck me was the genuine kindness I saw in every person I met,” Palmer said. “Everyone was willing to talk, chat, or even just smile as I walked by. I never felt intimidated or out of place. I fell in love with how engaged in me everyone was. I was able to talk to many people one-on-one, not just as a group tour, and each person had something else great to say about Northern. I felt like they wanted me, and uniquely me.”

Palmer said she’s excited to get back to connecting with her tenants in the fall, a few of which she says she made friends with and learned from.

"I love broadening my perspective, and I am looking forward to what this new group of people will bring to me,” she said. “I am also excited to help out my tenants. I’m eager for them to use me as a resource throughout the year. As much as I reach out, it always feels good to have someone actually take you up on that help.”

When thinking about her time at NMU, one of Palmer’s most memorable moments occurred her freshman year.

“My very first year here, I was just leaving my room with my roommate to go to a meal and I heard the father of the girl across the hall say ‘You girls don’t snore do you!’” Palmer said. “I was surprised at first, but it was just the ice breaker I needed to introduce myself to the girls across the hall. They, along with their suitemates, and mine, are some of the best friends I have ever had. We have become so close in the past three years, and to think it all came from an awkward comment my first day at college. It really goes to show how the smallest first impression can set the tone for the rest of your experiences.”

Palmer gives credit to NMU for the number of opportunities available to students in helping them develop both individually and in their careers.

“Every person that attends Northern leaves a different, and better person,” Palmer said. “There is so much growth that happens here and I can honestly say that I could not have become the person I am without all of the opportunities Northern afforded me.”

[northernstories]

This week we’re featuring our dedicated housing staff on Tumblr!

Rachel Klitzke is studying community health education at Northern Michigan University. She is originally from Menominee, Mich. In the fall, she’ll be the Resident Adviser in Margaritaville in Spooner Hall.

Klitzke’s route to NMU is unlike many.

“Well, I decided to come to NMU after a stranger in a grocery store looked at me and said ‘you look like you should go to NMU,’” she said. “I had known about the university, but never gave it much thought due to it being close to home.”

The career path Klitzke chose to pursue at NMU has allowed her to educate people on the overall health and wellness of their bodies.

"I feel it is so important to have overall wellness in your life,” Klitzke said. “Mind, body and spirit are very important, and my job allows me to help others better these areas of their lives. In addition to this, it helps me to experience new cultures and ways of life which help to better my life.”

As an RA, Klitzke said she loves the connections she gets to make with her residents.

“I find that my favorite part about being an RA is bringing together all different personality types and showing them that we can all have fun, relax and still be academically successful as a unit.”

Klitzke graduates this December, and she says because of this, she’s most excited for this coming semester.

“I am looking forward to having a great, fun, random and adventurous year,” she said. “(My residents) should know that those words also describe me and I cannot wait until they all get here. Expect to see me eating a lot of pizza! Why? Because pizza!”

Lastly, Klitzke has a bit of advice she’s gained from her time spent at NMU.

"Have fun, join a club, take a few wildcat days when it's nice out and above all else, use your college years for you,” she said. “This is your time to invest in yourselves; do a service to yourself and study, remain career focused and on the weekends, enjoy these years to the fullest.”

[northernstories]

This week we’re featuring our dedicated housing staff on Tumblr!

Tavin Swanberg of Sparta, Mich. is a psychology major at Northern Michigan University. He is working as a Resident Adviser in Reel House in West Hall this fall.

Swanberg chose NMU because he liked the environment and surrounding outdoor possibilities that Marquette has to offer, as well as the affordability. In addition, he saw the resources available at NMU as an asset in helping him reach his career goals.

“I’ve met a lot of cool students in my program, as well as had the opportunity to truly get to know my professors due to the small class sizes,” Swanberg said. “I’ve also been able to participate in research done by research-based psychology students.”

This semester, Swanberg said he is most looking forward to building a community within his house and getting the students involved, while simultaneously building relationships among students.

“We are the ‘Reel’est on campus and it’s going to be a great year!“