By Baker Pitts, Staff Writer
Resident directors play an important role in students’ college experiences. This is the fourth in a series of interviews with resident directors to help students get to know them better.
The Echo: Katy, how long have you been an RD here?
Katy Bradley: This is my sixth year. I was in Garey for two years, then I made my way to CAI, which is Chapman, Asbury, Imel, then I went to Hately and moved over to Hills halfway through the year. So I’ve made my rounds.
TE: What do you like about being an RD?
KB: I love everything about it; it’s my dream job. There are definitely hard moments, but it is always a good day.
TE: What kind of hard moments are you referring to?
KB: Just hearing stories from students where you just wanna step in and be able to heal and do things and you can’t, and sometimes they have to learn and you just have to watch them hurt and not pick them up, and it’s hard. But then there are just as many stories where you get to see the light bulb go on, and you get to see those people that were hurting so bad walk across that stage at graduation and bawl your eyes out. So they are always good days, there are just hard moments within those days.
TE: A little, big news in your life at the moment is Beau. Tell me about him.
KB: He’s just, I’m not gonna say he’s a sweet angel, he is! But he’s just a strong, bold courageous young man. I think I have realized that he is definitely the Lord’s and Brett and I have been chosen and blessed to get to love on him and raise him and coach him and speak into him and train him to be the man and the husband that God wants him to be later on down the road.
TE: So how has having Beau changed your life?
KB: I think it requires a lot more planning. It requires a lot more prayer and balance, you know balancing my job with my responsibilities as a mom, and just knowing how to keep those two in the proper balance and make sure no one is disappointed because I’m with my son or my husband.. A lot more balance and a lot more communication between Brett and I and my RA’s and myself.
TE: Do you have any big plans, any big events that you have upcoming for Hills in the near future?
KB: Our next big thing is our Hills family feast of blessings, and all of our staff will get together on Nov. 15th to put on a big Thanksgiving feast for the residents. We’re gonna have turkey and ham and all of the fixings, and the hope of that is to get everyone together to celebrate as a family, knowing that not everyone will get a chance to have something like that.
TE: Other than that, is there anything you’d like the readers to know?
KB: I definitely count it a blessing to be here. I mean, how many other people get to go into work and just have conversations with students and hear their stories and where they’re coming from? I love my job, and I leave here pretty much every day feeling refreshed, and I love that.