This week’s Campus Celeb is one of the very first people I got to know here at Pitt, my RA Lia Brunetti. As a first semester freshman, I was lucky enough to have one of the coolest and sweetest RA’s ever. Knowing that her door is always open to help me with my problems or even just to offer a smile has made my adjustment into college that much easier. Keep on reading to get to know the RA of Tower B’s Cloud Nine!
Year: Junior
Major: Psychology with a minor in Spanish, on the pre-physical therapy track
Hometown: Mansfield, Ohio
HC: How are you involved on campus?
LB: Well, I am an RA. This is my first year and I love it! I am also involved with the club Talk About It and am on the executive board. I am the general body meeting chair, which means that I am responsible for planning meetings. Last year I was a part of the planning team for the NACURH conference. I worked with thirty other Pitt students and fifteen professional staff members. We planned the conference for 3,000 people! I was in charge of philanthropy and though it took up a lot of my time, I loved being a part of it.
HC: What made you want to become an RA?
LB: I had the most wonderful RA my freshman year when I lived in Sutherland. We had co-ed floors, so my RA was male. He was encouraging and supported my ideas, such as Panther Wishlist. I started Panther Wishlist in Sutherland, which then became Holiday on the Hill. We held fundraisers in order to raise money and buy toys to donate to the Salvation Army. My RA also helped me get involved in RSA, which led to my involvement in NACURH and then eventually in me becoming an RA.
HC: That is so amazing that you started Panther Wishlist! Tell me more about it.
LB: Last year, we partnered with Engagement LLC and made Panther Wishlist a campus wide event. We raised $4,000 to buy toys for kids. It was so fun to go out and do the shopping. We had about fifteen carts of toys! It is going to be a campus wide event again this year as well.
HC: What is your favorite part about being an RA?
LB: This is so hard. Of course I love getting to know the residents. Also, the staff I get to work with is amazing! I have never felt this much support. It is sometimes overwhelming, but I am so grateful for it. It is going to be so hard to leave them all when I study abroad next semester!
HC: You said you were going abroad, how exciting! Where are you studying?
LB: I am very excited! I will be studying in Granada, Spain. Granada is such a cool city with so much diversity. There is also a lot of Arab influence, which causes a mesh of the different cultures. It is all around just beautiful, and the fashion is amazing!
HC: I expect a lot of pictures.
LB: I’m going to send tons of postcards!
HC: If you could give some pieces of advice to freshman, what would it be?
LB: Academically, don’t limit yourself. Take classes you want to take even if you won’t graduate in four years. Socially, remember to appreciate the friends you’re making now. They might not seem like your best friends now, but if they stick around when you really need it, they’re good friends to have.
HC: I see you’re wearing your Talk About It shirt. How did you get involved with Talk About It?
LB: I had heard about it freshman year. Mental health is something not talked about but should be. I knew people involved in the club and was told to go to a meeting, so I went and just liked the whole idea of it. As I started to become more and more involved, people started to come up to me and say things like “I’m so glad you’re here doing this!” Just a few people saying that made me realize that though I’m not helping the world on a large scale, I’m still making a difference in some way.
HC: What is your favorite part about being a member of Talk About It?
LB: Letting people know that there is support for them no matter what, whether it’s you, a friend, or a family member that is going through something difficult. I also really enjoy doing the general body meetings because I get to interact with the other members.
HC: What goals would you like to have accomplished by the end of your junior year?
LB: I would like to be mostly fluent in Spanish. I also want to pass physics (laughs). That’s all I’m asking! I also want to become even more comfortable with myself. Being an RA definitely helps, but I want to continue to improve this. I really want to keep in touch with people while abroad. Being away for such a long time can break connections and I definitely don’t want that to happen.
HC: Random fact about yourself?
LB: (Smiling and laughing) I can juggle! Just give me some oranges and I’m set.
Photos are from Lia’s Facebook.