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HousingandResidencelife
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A green light to greotness:
Dear Awards Evaluators :
We, the hall directors of 'l'l-rc
Coiiege Inn, nominate I-eidy Guarin for the Residence Life
Advisor Council's Community Development Award. Leidy is known around College Inn for her
selflessness and willingness to serve others. Her efforts to unite the community through planned
programming and spontaneous outings are what make her most deserving of this award.
Here at College lnn, building community does not happen naturally. It takes a great deal
of intentionality to create relationships and unite the residents. I Iowever, Leidy has never let that
be a roadblock in her success as a Resident Assistant. Within thc first month of the spring
semester, Leidy had entered seven programs in the program pianner; five of which were planned
and two that were spontaneous. Now, with one month left in the semester, she has thirteen
programs entered with ten of them complete already.
For Leidy, community development does not stop at the walls of College Inn. Leidy has
participated in every intramural sport this semester, playing on each team College Inn has fielded
and attending as a spectator occasionally so that she may give others a chance to participate. She
has not let spectating stop her from engaging residents, howevcr; instead, she has used it as an
opportunity to bring more College lnn residents to the games to watch and cheer them on. She
sees it as jirst another way to engage the residents in the College inn family.
Leidy's community development efforts go beyond forrnal interactions or planned
activities. She has made herself the face of College Inn for each resident, be they her own or
from another wing. She creates a welcoming environmcnt by calling each resident she sees by
name, embracing them, and asking thcm how their life is going. 'Ihose whose name she doesn't
know, she simply asks - and she ncvcr forgets. She will shout at rcsidents from the couflyard as
tl"rey walk on the balconies above; shc rvill wave to people h'onr across our parking lot, and. she
can't go ten f.eet on campus without mceting someone she knor,vs. usually from Flousing and
probably from College Inn. She docsn't wait for formal or planned events; most evenings will
find Leidy going door to door, asking residents to join hcr fbr dinner or at the rec.
Finally, Leidy's community development doesn't stop when a resident leaves College
Inn. Recently, Leidy has been instrumental in helping a formcr College Inn resident (who is
confined to a wheelchair) accl"rire the leg braces needed to lulfill this former resident's dream of
walking across the stage at her college graduation. Leidy has almost single-handedly made his
possible by connecting the fbrmer resident to a company which supplies leg braces, liaising with
RLAC- and Greek Lif'e to fundraise lbr these braces, ancl keeping in constant contact with this
former resident. As it now stands, this former resident has the braces she needs and will get to
fulfill her dream, thanks largely to Leidy.
For Leidy, community development is not merely one facet of her job as an RA. It is,
instead, a privilege which also happens to come almost as naturally to her as breathing. More
than one College Inn RA has told us that Leidy is the measurc against which they hold
themselves when it comes to comrnunity development, and to the kind of RA they want to be.
Leicly sets the standard here at 1'he Coilege Inn and we cannot emphasize enough how deserving
Sidney Smith, Assistant Ilall Director
M'-(l,
7155 Unlon Circle #3lI3I0
Denton. Texas 7 6203 - 5017
940.565.2610
940.369.8764 fax
we believe.";he is olthe I{I.AC Community Develo
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Josh Gosdir6",F{all Director I
www.unt.edu/housing