The prompt: Recreate the garden pictured on the screen using Play-Doh.

But the audience was not made up of elementary schoolers – it was residents of the Global Health Living Learning Community, led by the LLC’s resident assistant, Chelsey Lu. The event sought to symbolize how students’ career paths are just as pliable and collaborative as the colored compound in front of them, Lu said.

“Even though we have expectations for how our college experience or our pre-health journey should look like, throughout the time we experience the perspectives of other people and we are impacted by other people’s journeys,” said Lu, who is also a second-year human biology and society student. “It might look different, but we all end up with a garden nevertheless.”

The event, which sought to connect underclassmen with upperclassman mentors, was one of many that Lu leads as an RA. Lu said she is also in charge of coming up with smaller projects to help with students’ wellness, patrolling on busy evenings to help students get home safely and addressing noise complaints.

Lu is an RA for one of UCLA’s 13 LLCs. According to UCLA Residential Life, LLCs are centered around a particular theme – from Creative Collective to Pilipinx – to support students’ academic, social and personal needs.

In the Global Health LLC, which Lu runs alongside another RA, the programming centers around supporting students on their pre-health journey, Lu said. From participating in events that involve serving food and coordinating activities to leaving uplifting notes on residents’ doors, Lu said her programs are dependent on the needs of her residents.

After every program, Lu said she works with her co-RA and her intern to discuss event turnout and reflect on what they could do better in the future.

Lu said RAs, who are stationed in every building in UCLA-owned undergraduate housing, also help students access academic resources and mental wellness initiatives, especially because 85% of her floor are first-year students.

“Residents just knock on my door and tell me about things or are in a very vulnerable state and just want to talk to me. … A lot of my reports have come from that,” Lu said. “There’s a lot of privilege in being able to see residents sometimes at their worst, when they’re struggling so much, and being able to be that first point of contact.”

Haneefah Fofana, a first-year psychobiology student living on Lu’s floor, said she appreciates the academic resources that RAs provide. From leaving their doors open in the event of any impromptu drop-ins to hosting informative events, Fofana feels supported by her RA’s efforts, she said.

Lu said she feels the competition among STEM students makes the support system that the LLC’s RAs provide particularly important.

“As a first-year coming in pre-health, there’s a lot of impostor syndrome in general with UCLA students, but especially with STEM-oriented majors because it’s so competitive,” Lu said. “We try to give them that academic, but also social, support along the way.”

When it comes to patrolling – or being “on duty” – Lu said her job primarily revolves around safeguarding students. Rather than thinking of her job as monitoring students, Lu said she acts as a first point of contact for any incidents.

Lu said she’s been lucky in the fact that the biggest incident was a 2 a.m. fire alarm.

Lu said applications to become an RA open in late November, with candidates participating in group and individual interviews in early spring. Those selected to become RAs receive training in a variety of topics, from community building to mental health, she said. According to UCLA Residential Life, the position is compensated by covering housing and meal plan costs.

On top of her work as an RA, Lu said she also has to balance schoolwork, research and her job as the Hill treasurer, a position that includes creating floor budgets for other RAs to host social events and managing finances for the Resident Government Council to execute building-wide events.

Despite the workload, Lu said being compassionate toward residents helps her succeed as an RA.

“Our job can be really hard at times, especially when you’re balancing a full course load, other extracurriculars and a job, but as long as you care, your residents can see that,” Lu said.

Maharlica Allen, a first-year psychology student who lives on the floor, said she appreciates the community-building work that Lu does.

“She knows everyone’s name here,” Allen said. “She’s very friendly and makes everyone feel heard.”

One of the challenges of being an RA is encouraging students to keep their areas clean, Lu said, adding that she has to remind people that custodial staff should not be responsible for cleaning up when residents have made a mess.

“I remind residents to be courteous of the people that are cleaning up after them because they’re in no way entitled to that, even if they’re paying to live here,” Lu said.

[Related: In Plain Sight: UCLA’s custodians work around the clock to keep campus clean]

Another challenge that Lu faces comes with helping first-year students adjust to living with roommates – often for the first time.

“A lot of the incidents or conflicts that arise come from roommates, especially since for first-years, it’s probably their first time living with other people,” Lu said. “Finding out what’s important to them and how they interact with people in a communal space, especially when you’re around people 24/7, … so those are mostly the conflicts that arise in our community.”

Lu said she enjoys the unique experiences of being an RA comes with. She said she is well-trained to say the right things and, when necessary, guide students to a supervisor if they need more help. The skills she has learned through the position have a lot of value in itself, Lu said.

Lu added that she has bonded with fellow RAs and other LLC leaders over lunches and group activities. Living in the same building has also made it easier to meet them and find opportunities to hang out, she said.

Despite the challenges that come with being an RA, Lu said her overall experience thus far has been incredibly rewarding.

“It’s really hard to find another position in college that gives you all of these experiences in terms of community building, crisis management, conflict resolution and leadership, all consolidated into one position,” Lu said.