We are glad to be back with our RAD Hot Seat series! This time, Mr Li Xingwen, a Resident Advisor (RAD) from PGPR Residence 4 answers all our burning questions about being one of the youngest RADs, his experiences, dreams (hint: it involves Spanish!) and more. Read on to find out! 🙂
Mr Li at Residential Leaders Camp 2016
Can you first tell us about yourself – what do you do here in NUS aside from being an RAD? What and where did you study?
I’m an Assistant Manager at the NUS International Relations Office (IRO) where I work with universities, companies and organisations from different countries to develop internships and overseas programmes for NUS students. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from NUS, but I have also studied abroad in quite a number of countries – I spent one semester in University of Waterloo in Canada, two weeks in University of Copenhagen in Denmark, and spent some time in studying in Taiwan and France as well!
How long have you been an RAD and why did you decide to be one?
I’ve been an RAD since August 2014, so it has been almost two years. Why did I want to be an RAD? For the free accommodation *laughs*. Just kidding! Anyone who’s just in for the free accommodation wouldn’t last long – it takes so much more than that. I think it was quite a natural decision for me. Having studied in different countries and stayed in several student residences, I have come to appreciate the importance of residential life. For most students, university life is an important journey of discovery, filled with various challenges and opportunities. So if I can make use of my own experience and skills to help these students, I think I can make a difference in their lives, no matter how small – it’s very meaningful and rewarding.
So how have your experiences abroad helped you in your role as an RAD?
In NUS, we have a very diverse student population coming from various countries. So having studied in different countries as well as worked at IRO for quite long now, I find it quite natural to interact with these students and faculty members from overseas. Especially for those who just arrived in Singapore, I believe it would help a lot if there’s someone to introduce them to the various aspects of Singapore during their first few months. So I think this is one aspect in which my experience can come in handy.
What would you say are your favourite experiences as an RAD?
My entire experience as an RAD itself is actually my favourite part of my life! There are many things that I cherish about being an RAD, but the main one is really the opportunity to interact with the students. I get to talk to them and listen to their concerns. And once I get to know them, I think it’s more likely that they will come to me when they need help.
Do you think being younger than most of the other RADs give you any advantage or downside?
Being of about the same age as my RAs (I’m about only three to four years older than them) allows me to get to know them on a more personal and deeper level. We often meet up for meals and sometimes we even have parties at my place. So we have a strong friendship, and this closeness makes it a lot easier to work together as a team to serve the residents. That being said, I think many older RADs work very well with their RAs as well. So it really depends on the individual – for me, age is not that important of a factor.
Mr Li with his RAs – see how they look like pals of the same age?
What difficulties did you face during your time as an RAD?
There are 500 residents in my residence, so one challenge we face is to get to know everyone. As I mentioned, it is more likely that they’ll come to you for help if they know you personally. This is why we try to organize more activities to create more platforms for the RADs and RAs to get to know our residents. We also believe that by knowing them, the number of incidents  and disciplinary cases can be minimised and it will also allow us to better assist residents in their times of need.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Married with two kids. *laughs* I think five years down the road I will be in Latin America, working to enhance the access to quality education for the local population there and … speaking perfect Spanish.
Can you share with us your source of inspiration and motivation?
Me, five years from now! I’d like to believe everyone strives to become a better person than we are today. So a version of ourselves  five years down the road  should ideally be better than what we are today. I actively make plans for my life, I have a general idea of what I want to do and who I want to become in five years. So I work towards that, and that’s what keeps me going.
What piece of advice would you give those who are intending to apply as new RADs?
Get ready for an exciting and meaningful journey. Sometimes the work can be quite challenging or quite different from what you are used to do in your office job, but when you do it, you’ll realise it’s something very meaningful – you’re making a huge impact on the lives of so many students. You may not realise it at that point, but years down the road you’ll see the impact you’ve made. Stay the course!
