When 20-year-old Resident Assistant (RA) Hannah Oskoui first came to the University of Idaho as a freshman, it was because UI was an easy choice financially. Now, as a senior studying sociology with a criminology emphasis, she said she stayed because of the unique atmosphere she can relate to on campus.
“U of I is an introverted campus, much like me, where you have to get to know it before it’ll open up to you,” Oskoui said. “It’s safe to say that the warm and caring atmosphere is what made me stay.”
For years, Oskoui said she has stood out from the crowd because of her height, standing at 4’ 11”. As a returning RA, she said the friends she’s made through the job have come to know her as more than just the short woman some people might think of her as.
“I was never bullied, I’m too fiery for that,” Oskoui said. “But I was, and still am, defined by my height. That isn’t something I can change so it has definitely made me a more rigid, shelled person.”
She said most of her friends see her for the person she really is, but she doesn’t appreciate short jokes.
“It makes it seem like the only notable thing about me is my height, not anything else like my fluency in sarcasm or ability to eat an entire line of Oreos in one sitting,” Oskoui said.
Oskoui recently returned from the San Francisco Bay area, where she worked for 10 weeks as a Loss Prevention Detective intern for TJX, the parent company for TJMaxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods, HomeSense, Sierra Trading Post and Trade Secret.
She said she started looking for internships in the field because of a career one of her Criminology professors described, but she found an expected passion in the Routine Activities Theory.
“It says that three things need to happen in order for crime to occur, and stopping just one of those is enough to stop a crime. This internship allowed me to see this in action,” Oskoui said.
Oskoui acted as a “capable guardian for the product” which she said was enough to deter people from committing a crime, such as theft.
“I learned how to apprehend shoplifters and help investigate dishonest associates, but I also learned how to work independently as I had to learn how to make those tough decisions about whether or not someone has committed an illegal act,” Oskoui said.
When she graduates in the spring, she said a perfect world would let her travel around Europe and the United States for about six weeks, then to the east coast to work for TJX.
As a self-described “fiery person with a cold exterior,” Oskoui said that, similar to the UI atmosphere, it takes a lot for her to open up to people, but once she does she will be eternally loyal to them.
“This comes from the fact that I have had some incredible friends so I know not to let my standards slip. As an RA, I have made friends with people I never thought I’d have a chance to talk to, but I am grateful for their time, energy and friendship,” Oskoui said.
She said her sister originally got her thinking about becoming an RA, and she almost missed the deadline to apply because she spent so much time thinking about the impact it would have on her life.
“It’s funny to think how different my life almost was,” Oskoui said. “I eventually came to the decision that I didn’t want to be just another resident on campus, I wanted to be someone who other people could turn to for advice, guidance, or authority.”
Oskoui has now returned for her second year as an RA because she loves her co-workers.
“The RA family is a real, living thing and it’s my favorite part of the job,” Oskoui said. “I also came back because I have some fantastic residents that I couldn’t imagine not seeing this year.”
Oskoui said being an RA is the best decision she could’ve made, partially because of the reward of having a student tell her she was helpful to them, or contributed to the success of that resident in some way.
“My goal for year one of post-grad life is to just be able to afford all of the necessities of living as an adult on the eastern seaboard by myself, and still be able to afford to treat myself to Ben and Jerry’s every so often,” Oskoui said.
Diamond Koloski can be reached at[email protected] or on Twitter @diamond_uidaho