Personal Narrative: A Career As A Resident Adviser

As a resident adviser (RA) on campus, I am required to stay later and complete room checks for my floor before the start of each break. Back in March, I signed the offer and one of the conditions is that I am required to be available on specific dates in order to perform certain duties. Additionally, the job puts a strong emphasis on prioritizing the RA position and because the terms were clear in the contract and we received it well in advanced, we were held accountable to their dates and duties (unless there is a case of emergency).
This past weekend, my friends and I were looking at Spring Break plans and we found a cruise from New Orleans to Mexico. Everyone was on board for the cruise besides me. The sail date conflicted with the date

I was required to perform room checks. Knowing that a cruise is not a mandatory commitment or an emergency, I prepared a plan to negotiate with my Area Coordinator, who is my supervisor.
On Monday, January 15, 2018, I met with my supervisor. I came into the meeting with a proposal and several points I knew I wanted to highlight. I began my negotiation by asking, “What would happen if I missed Spring Break closing? What are the biggest concerns and how can I make it up?” I continued by bringing up the fact that I am Senior and I have not missed a single closing before and I am looking at a cruise that sails on the day of closing. Additionally, I offered to take an extra shift of closing during the end of the semester. I also talked about how I had to alter my Spring Break plans in the previous years because I knew that I had prior RA commitments. My supervisor said she understood the situation and would hate for me to miss the trip. My supervisor said that she appreciated the compromise and the effort I took to take an extra shift of closing during the end of the semester. She mentioned that this could work if I did some room checks the day before closing and found a replacement to finish up my rooms on the day of closing. I agreed to these conditions. Ultimately, this was a win-win situation where my supervisor and I were happy with our choices even though I had to make a small sacrifice.