Part 5: "The Small Work in the Great Work" by Victoria Safford

In her essay, Safford opens by telling an anecdote about a young Native Indian girl who overcame a hostile and racist crowd at a basketball game by performing a traditional Lakota Indian dance and song.  Safford then goes into the idea of standing up and taking initiative, something that takes a great deal of courage.  Connecting this gay rights, Safford speaks about the courage and risk taken in pride parades and identifying oneself as who you truly are.  Finally, Safford goes into 9/11 and how when a group feels let down it takes a lot of courage to sort through and produce the appropriate responses.

Safford collects these stories to show the importance of courage in the grand scheme of things.  As her title indicates, "The Small Work in the Great Work," it is small moments of action that can make a huge difference in the big picture.  As RA's we can use this lesson in our daily lives when we work with our residents.  Even small actions, from studying with someone in the library to having lunch with someone, can make a huge impact on the overall freshmen experience of our residents.  By taking the time and effort to make this courageous moments happen, we can make our residents have a much more beneficial and positive experience throughout the year.