In June, the 2018-19 LMU Residence Hall Association (RHA) president Amada Reyes ’19, won the National Association for College and University Residence Hall President of the Year award. Reyes was also honored earlier this year with the Pacific Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls President of the Year award.
Reyes is a political science and communication studies double major from Danville, CA. As president of RHA, she focused on providing a positive living experience for all residents on campus. She came to LMU as a transfer student, which prompted her to create the Lion Transfer Network, a registered student organization that focuses on providing new and current transfer students the resources they need to help them transition to life at LMU. “My time at LMU was such an incredibly rewarding and edifying experience. LMU not only pushed me to reach my full potential but to always strive for more,” said Reyes.
Reyes was initially drawn to LMU for the strong academic curriculum offered but soon realized how much more it had to provide her with “Beyond academics, it’s a place full of inspiration that empowers students to be the best versions of themselves,” said Reyes.
In addition to those leadership roles on campus, Reyes was also an international orientation leader and a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, Order of Omega and the Tau Sigma Honors Society. She traveled with the Lingdao Fellows Program to Beijing, China, which helped her gain a different perspective on leadership and most importantly, on what it means to become a global citizen. She also has a passion for intercultural communication that came from her journey growing up when she moved her birth city of Guatemala City, Guatemala, to California at the age of 12 years old. This experience gave her more of an appreciation for the diversity within the U.S.
For Reyes, the community played an essential role in shaping her experience at LMU. “My peers, faculty, and staff played a critical role in my growth and development throughout my college years. There’s something about this university that attracts thoughtful, caring and motivated individuals. That is one of the things I’ll miss the most about LMU.”