When you take on a student staff position, it is easy to focus on what comes with the role. There is the experience you will gain, the leadership skills you develop, the responsibilities you will take on, and maybe even how the position will look on your résumé.
What often gets overlooked are the people you meet along the way. One of the best parts of being a student staff member is that you never really know who will become an important part of your college experience. Some people may only cross your path for a semester, while others might become friends, mentors, or people you stay connected with long after your time on staff ends.
The Connections That Start Small
Not every meaningful connection starts with an obvious friendship. Sometimes, it starts with something as simple as a conversation in the hallway. You might notice a resident who is always around when you are, or someone who stops by the office with a question. A random conversation can last five minutes longer than either of you expected.
Over time, those little moments can turn into something more. You start recognizing each other, checking in, and learning more about the person behind the room number. That’s one of the things that makes working with students so rewarding. You never really know which relationships will grow throughout the year. A simple conversation can become a familiar face, a regular check-in, or even a friendship you never saw coming.
The Coworker Who Becomes a Friend
When you start a student staff position, your coworkers might just be familiar faces on campus. Then suddenly, you are spending late nights together, helping each other through difficult situations, laughing about things that only your staff team understands, and texting each other about something that happened five minutes ago.
Your coworkers experience many of the same highs and lows that come with the position. They understand the late nights, the awkward conversations, the unexpected situations, and the moments when you wonder whether you actually know what you’re doing. Somewhere along the way, those familiar faces can become some of the people you rely on most. Years later, you may not remember every program you worked or every duty shift you completed, but you might remember the people who were there beside you through it all.
The Mentor You Didn’t Know You Needed
Student staff positions also have a way of introducing you to people who change how you see yourself. A supervisor might see potential in you before you recognize it yourself. A coworker might teach you something without even realizing it. Someone might challenge you to step outside of your comfort zone and try something new.
Not every mentor relationship is formal. Sometimes, mentorship happens through a five minute conversation, a piece of advice, or someone simply taking the time to listen. Pay attention to those people. You never know when something they say will stay with you long after the conversation ends.
Then There’s You
Perhaps the most unexpected person you meet through a student staff position is yourself. Over the course of the year, you start to notice changes you didn’t necessarily expect. You become more comfortable handling difficult conversations. Speaking up feels a little easier. You learn how to navigate situations that once seemed intimidating, and somewhere along the way, you become more confident in your ability to handle whatever comes next.
Those changes usually don’t happen all at once. They show up in small moments, the conversation you handle differently than you would have before this role, the decisions you begin to make with confidence, or the situation that no longer feels quite as overwhelming. Eventually, you will look back and realize that the person who started the position is not quite the same person standing here now. That’s the thing about student staff positions. You start the experience thinking about what you are going to do. You do not always realize how much you’re going to grow.
Make Room for the Unexpected
As the semester continues, don’t get so focused on your responsibilities that you miss the people around you. Talk to the resident you normally only pass in the hallway. Get to know the coworker you have not had much of a chance to talk to yet. Take advice from someone who has been doing this longer than you. Give yourself the chance to build relationships you never saw coming.
Some of the most meaningful parts of your student staff experience probably won’t be found on your calendar. They will happen in the hallway, at the front desk, during a late night conversation, after a difficult day, or in a moment that seems completely ordinary at the time. You never know who will cross your path.
And sometimes, the people you didn’t expect to meet become the people you remember the most.
