Tara Lunsford: Friend, Mentor And Leader
By Kaitlin Armstrong
Staff Writer
Tara Lunsford is a sophomore at Lynn, who originally called Michigan home before her family moved to Sarasota, Fla.
The biology major has found her involvement role at Lynn mostly through serving as a resident assistant after her brief stint with the Lynn swim team.
“I left the swim team because I wanted more free time to meet people outside of athletics,” said Lunsford. “I knew of people in Housing and Residence Life and had a good experience with my [resident assistant]. So, I decided to apply to join the team.”
While serving as a resident assistant, Lunsford has had to create fun and inviting floor programs to encourage her residents to be more involved on campus while developing relationships with their neighbors.
“Floor programs can be a lot of fun with high attendance,” said Lunsford. “It can be a struggle to get people to attend, but we make sure everyone has the opportunity to participate. I have really enjoyed being more creative and making all of my floor posters.”
Thus far, Lunsford has had multiple illustrious experiences as a resident assistant. There have been times where the demanding duties of her role with resident life and being a biology major have conflicted to make school a bit more stressful for her. Still, this has not derailed her determination to continue her leadership position during her upperclassmen years.
“I made great bonds with the staff members, and some of my closest friends are on the staff. I want to continue these kinds of relationships,” said Lunsford. “There have also been students who I have been able to truly help during my time.”
The Michigan native has done her best to maximize the college experiences of residents so far, and she is thrilled to jump right back into the resident assistant role for the upcoming 2018-2019 school year.
