When only 1 resident comes to your program...
A few weeks into the semester, I scheduled a lounge decorating program for my residents because they requested it. BUT, none of those residents came to the program! I even had candy there as an incentive! A few residents came by and took candy, but only 1 resident stayed to actually decorate with me. Not much decorating can really be done to a lounge with 3 completely blank walls when there are only two people working on it. However, I was able to have a really great conversation with this resident (who also happened to be having a roommate conflict), and we stayed up decorating until 1 AM.
What I’m really happy about is the fact that this resident told me how much she loved our community, how she was happy I was helping her with her roommate conflict, and that she ultimately didn’t want to move out anymore. I was so glad she said that because I was feeling very stressed at the time (I was dealing with multiple roommate conflicts and that banana vandalism incident), and she made me feel appreciated. Even though everything else was going awry, at least one resident recognized my efforts. And I think that’s really what matters. As long as I’ve made a difference in just one person’s life, and helped that person get to where they want to be, I’ll be happy.