April 27, 2020

Goodbye Residential Living HALLo Alumni Association

By: Madee Lucky

The phrase, “It’s time to turn over a new leaf” can bring a rise of multiple different emotions from people. It can be intimidating, exciting, and even scary. This 16th century idiom formed because people actually referred to books as leaves. Turning over a new leaf literally means to turn to a blank page and start anew. 

Ronnie Hall knows this very well. Serving as an Area Coordinator at WT for 23 year made the bold step to turn over a new leaf and start anew. Hall recently accepted a new position at WT as the executive director of the WTAMU Alumni Association. For the last 23 years, Hall has interacted with students in the residence halls for hours on end during the day, even through the night, helping with programs and giving advice to current students.

Hall says, “Safety and security was our number one concern, after that it was building community and getting people out of their rooms.” 

While Hall was an Area Coordinator, he met and inspired many people as he engaged with the students on a daily basis. This was something he loved to do and the students who he interacted with enjoyed his company and guidance.

“He impressed me by how much he cares about everyone and doesn’t try to gain recognition for it.” Matt Day is a mechanical engineer major who worked as an RA underneath Hall.

The world would be chaos without caring and helpful people along the way. Good, kindhearted people who want others to succeed in life are the best types of people and we need more of them.

“It was very rewarding, we had the opportunity to make an impact on students' lives. Whether it is just that someone is having a bad day, you get to talk to them and hear about their personal stories and their personal lives,” Hall says.

Now for the future, Hall plans on working and serving the alumni of West Texas A&M. This means he will be the direct contact for alumni to go to, he will also be in charge of future homecomings that the school hosts. Hall also works with the chapters within the panhandle to make sure that people and the alumni stay captivated and in love with our campus. Hall says that he is most excited about engaging with the alumni, more specifically helping the alumni grow in their career in collaboration with career services as it was his favorite part of being the Area Coordinator.  In the future, Hall will host resume building events, conduct mock interviews with the alumni, and even offer other alumni to hold Microsoft Excel presentations so they can teach others how to do basic bookkeeping and move on with that skill in their hands. These events can help alumni become more successful in their careers and improve their skills as an employee. Events like these are what Hall thinks are the most important aspect of his new position, along with engaging with the alumni themselves.

“I’m expecting to be able to serve, it was very rewarding to be able to serve in the residence halls. It was very rewarding to be able to serve the students. So, with the alumni I still want to be a servant at heart and help them too,” Hall said.

It is a rare thing to find someone that is extremely passionate about their job and enjoys going to work every day. Hall considers it a mission to help others improve and better themselves. There will be people in our lives that influence and guide us through rough times and be there for us. Eventually helping us continue with our lives and turn over a new leaf for a new journey in our lives. We’re lucky here at WT to have Hall as someone who has and continues to help turn over that new leaf.