If anyone has ever lived in a residence hall, they know the challenges that come with it.

Between random roommates, community showers and being away from home for the first time, living in a new environment isn’t always easy for students.

But, there’s a built-in guide, friend and mentor for every new student on campus — their first Community Adviser (CA).

CAs are student-staff members that live in a residence hall with fellow students. Each building has a different amount of CAs, ranging from 7 to 20.

CAs duties include creating bulletin boards and door decorations for their hall members, attending weekly staff meetings and enforcing the rules and laws of campus.

However, the work doesn’t end once students leave the building. CAs also work the hall desk twice a week, take night shifts to examine the building and stay on campus for weeks at a time to provide services for their floors.

Halla Shafer, senior in civil engineering, is a CA for Geoffroy Hall. She said that she was inspired to become a CA after having a great experience with her own during her freshman year.

“I wanted to help others transition, and be a role model,” Shafer said.

The job is time-consuming, but most advisers don’t mind putting in extra hours to make sure that their residents are transitioning well to college and having a good experience in the residence halls.

Community building is the main goal of any CA. Atakilti Berhe, senior in biological systems engineering, is a CA in Maple Hall. He said that one of his favorite parts of being a CA is interacting with students.

“Getting to know students and creating that family bond within a floor is great,” Berhe said.

To create this bond, both CAs and fellow students need to understand the different range of students they live with. With Iowa State admitting students from all fifty states and over 115 countries, the diversity on campus is large.

A CA needs to be “supportive and accepting of all kinds of backgrounds,” Berhe said.

Alysa Cheng, junior in statistics, is a CA for Wallace Hall. She said that she’s met people from all different backgrounds and cultures throughout her experience.

“I’ve met people I wouldn’t have met otherwise,” Cheng said.

She said that one of her favorite parts of being a CA is watching students go from camping out in their rooms to interacting and making friends with other floor members.

“Seeing how [students] are on move-in day, and then seeing them now is incredible,” Cheng said.

The job isn’t always crafting and game nights, though. Students, especially first years, can go through dark times and need the support of their CAs.

Berhe has experienced this firsthand, saying that the toughest thing he’s had to deal with as a CA is helping students struggling with suicidal thoughts.

“Even though it only [happened] once or twice last semester, it’s difficult,” Berhe said.

Cheng said that they “definitely get calls in the middle of the night,” whether it’s for advice or for physical and emotional help.

Many CAs use their position to lend a helping hand to students, whether it’s direct contact or not.

Shafer said that her hall uses “passive programming” bulletin boards to indirectly address tough issues that not every student is comfortable talking about. Suicide is one of these issues, with the boards featuring statistics, phone numbers to call for help and uplifting quotes.

“They’re meant to inspire others, which is all we want to do,” Shafer said.

At the end of the day, the benefits of becoming a CA outweigh any tough times that may come while on the job.

Berhe called being a CA, “the best job on campus.”

Shafer echoed this statement, saying “I’m so happy I became a CA — the experience has been for the best.”

Students looking to build leadership or communication skills, need a bit of financial help or want to make a difference in other’s lives are encouraged to apply to become a CA sometime in their college career.