Resident Life Assistants — known more familiarly as RAs — are MSM students who are hired and trained by staff members of MSM’s Residence Life office in Student Affairs, overseen by Director of Residence Life April Jenkins.
RAs are essential to the mission of Residence Life at MSM to help build a warm, welcoming, and supportive environment for all resident students. They have a wide variety of responsibilities that include being a peer leader, programmer, policy enforcer, community builder, and advisor to students who live in Andersen Hall.
Any student at MSM can apply to become an RA at the end of their freshman year.
Find out where they’re from, what they’re studying, and their favorite off-campus spots.
Year: First-Year Graduate Major: Orchestral Conducting Hometown: Milan, Italy Fun Fact: I can cook true Italian pasta! Favorite Off-Campus Location: Roosevelt Island
Year: First-Year Graduate Major: Classical Violin Home Country: Turkey Favorite Off-Campus Location: Bryant Park
Year: Senior Major: Musical Theatre Hometown: East Greenbush, NY Fun Fact: My creative outlets outside of theatre are baking/cake decorating and building elaborate sandcastles! Favorite Off-Campus Location: Tom’s Diner – I have wonderful memories of so many of my family and friends going there with me over the past three years.
Year: Second-Year Graduate Major: Classical Voice Hometown: Miami, FL Fun Fact: Back when I was an undergraduate student at Oakwood University, I pursued my love for cooking by running a small business selling takeout plates. Favorite Off-Campus Location: Sitting on the benches at West Harlem Piers, watching the sunset
“My favorite thing I brought with me is a stack of cards from my family and friends, so I can put them on my door and remind myself of all the people that I love.” Kellin Hanas (BM '24, Jazz Trumpet)
“My favorite thing I brought with me is a stack of cards from my family and friends, so I can put them on my door and remind myself of all the people that I love.”
Kellin Hanas (BM '24, Jazz Trumpet)
Year: Junior Major: Musical Theatre Hometown: Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico Fun Fact: I have lived in 28 different places! Favorite Off-Campus Location: Conservatory Gardens of Central Park
Year: Senior Major: Jazz Trumpet Hometown: Wheaton, IL Fun Fact: I worked at McDonald’s for just a short five days, and I think I deserve a world record for that. Favorite Off-Campus Location: Macy’s on 34th Street
Year: Senior Major: Musical Theatre Hometown: Washington, D.C. Fun Fact: I love cheetah print! I even accessorized my car back home and named it “The Cheetah Mobile.” Favorite Off-Campus Location: Ritz Bar & Lounge
Year: First-Year DMA Major: Classical Guitar Hometown: Porto Alegre, Brazil Fun Fact: I’m addicted to popcorn. Favorite Off-Campus Location: Riverside Park Soccer Fields
“My record player is my favorite thing I brought with me to school because it fills my room with the nostalgic warmth of vinyl music and helps create a cozy and inviting atmosphere.” Ja'hlil Pembleton (BM '25, Classical Voice)
“My record player is my favorite thing I brought with me to school because it fills my room with the nostalgic warmth of vinyl music and helps create a cozy and inviting atmosphere.”
Ja'hlil Pembleton (BM '25, Classical Voice)
Year: Senior Major: Classical Bass Trombone Hometown: West Wilford, NJ Fun Fact: I’m a mountain climber and I love backpacking. Favorite Off-Campus Location: The Ikea in Brooklyn
Year: Junior Major: Musical Theatre Hometown: Jelgava, Latvia Fun Fact: I learned most of my English skills by excessively watching Disney Channel as a kid. It worked! Favorite Off-Campus Location: Kuro Kuma, especially on a warm morning when it’s not hot out yet and you can enjoy your coffee outside at one of their cute tables. Also, the pastries are divine.
Year: Junior Major: Classical Voice Hometown: Philadelphia, PA Fun Fact: I can talk like Elmo. Favorite Off-Campus Location: Soho or Brooklyn
Year: Junior Major: Classical Trumpet Hometown: Albany, NY Fun Fact: I love trains, and want to speed run ride every subway in NYC in one day! Favorite Off-Campus Location: I love Dumbo, Brooklyn. It has great food and a great park where you can see all of lower Manhattan – the pictures are amazing!
“The most meaningful thing I brought with me are two hand-made crochet bunnies that my aunt made for me – she gifted them to me in Korea in 2018, and they have been with me ever since.” Jenny Yi (MM '23, Classical Composition)
“The most meaningful thing I brought with me are two hand-made crochet bunnies that my aunt made for me – she gifted them to me in Korea in 2018, and they have been with me ever since.”
Jenny Yi (MM '23, Classical Composition)
Year: Senior Major: Classical Double Bass Hometown: Bethpage, NY Fun Fact: I love to read about psychology and sociology. Favorite Off-Campus Location: Riverside Park
Year: Second-Year Graduate Major: Classical Voice Hometown: Dekalb, IL Fun Fact: I love peanut butter on my grilled cheese, and I have double-jointed elbows. Favorite Off-Campus Location: Central Park
Year: Junior Major: Jazz Drums Hometown: Aarhus, Denmark Fun Fact: I used to be a skateboarder. Favorite Off-Campus Location: DROM in the East Village
Year: Senior Major: Classical Voice Hometown: Shenzhen, China Fun Fact: I’m a good listener and lover of life stories. Favorite Off-Campus Location: The Expat, a place where my friends and I have so much fun and memories together
Year: Second-Year Graduate Major: Classical Composition Hometown: Marietta, GA Fun Fact:I can crack my knuckles by simply clenching my fist.
Year: Junior Major: Musical Theatre Hometown: Guangzhou, China
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