Sophomore Ryan Kim CC’28 didn’t start his first year at the College planning to get involved in residential life. But after hearing his residence hall director in John Jay talk about making a difference on campus, Kim, now a political science major, was intrigued.

“I ended up becoming president of the John Jay Hall Council and really enjoyed hosting events, hearing about what was going on in the community and addressing complaints,” he says.

Today, Kim is the director of operations for the Residence Hall Leadership Organization (RHLO). This student-run group oversees the residence hall councils and helps bring residents’ concerns to University partners like Housing and Dining. RHLO also puts on annual events like Night Carnival and Winter Village to connect students with classmates and the larger campus community. Kim says that having a hand in these kinds of experiences has given him a greater appreciation for what it takes to create large events.

“I definitely used to take for granted how much planning goes into them,” he says. “It’s so much work and time [for the organizers], and other people are taking the time to host them.”

A Queens native, Kim shared more about his time with RHLO and residential life leadership.

What are you responsible for as the director of operations?

My role is similar to other clubs’ treasurer or finance role. I primarily make sure we stay within budget, but I also need to be a kind of “all-hands-on-deck” person. This means I’m available to help at any event or with residential life in general. I think my position has the least defined amount of responsibility, so I fit myself in where I’m most needed.

What do you enjoy about being part of RHLO?

I’ve gone to a few meetings with Housing and Dining when the programming directors couldn’t make it. It was interesting to learn about what they actually do for us; everyone is very enthusiastic about helping the students. Hosting events is also fun. I like interacting with students and talking to them, especially first-years, and encouraging them to run for a position on their own hall council to have an impact in their communities. I think everyone should take that chance.

Can you share more about the events RHLO puts on during the year?

Winter Village is usually in December; we have all the hall councils come to the John Jay Lounge and set up winter-related experiences, like gingerbread houses and cotton candy. At least one of the halls does a chocolate fondue station every year; I always love that one. Night Carnival is on the day of Surf and Turf, so after everyone eats steak and lobster they can come to the lawns and see all the attractions. Last year we had giant inflatable hamster balls, and people were slamming into each other; it was so funny. We’ve also had a rock wall, along with a mechanical bull.

How does RHLO support each hall council?

We have two ways of supporting hall councils. The first is through direct interaction in their weekly meetings; each hall hosts a meeting and we usually have one member assigned to two hall councils. The member attends at least once a month to see what events the council has planned, asks if they need any help and answers any questions. The second is monthly town hall meetings where we meet with the RHLO representatives and talk about our big events. These town halls are how we communicate information about Winter Village and Night Carnival, and we also get more information about how things are going as the councils are in regular contact with the community. So we learn about things like issues in the buildings or any improvements they would like to see, and then we can bring those concerns to our meetings with Housing and Dining.

How do you think you’ll use this leadership experience in the future?

I’ve interned at a lot of government offices and I think the experience is similar. I believe there’s often a disconnect between the constituents and the agencies. As a liaison, it is crucial to be able to advocate on constituents’ behalf, because sometimes they don’t have the time to do so or institutional knowledge of who or what to ask. I want to work in government, where I can advocate on the people’s behalf.

What is your favorite class you’ve taken?

My favorite classes have been my Korean classes. I’ve taken Korean every semester so far; the department has been very welcoming. I want to learn the language to connect more with my parents and better understand my culture. I’m currently in Professor Eunice Euna Chung’s class, and I’ve had a really enjoyable experience so far.

How have you taken advantage of being in NYC for college?

I’m a Queens kid, but I didn’t grow up coming into Manhattan. At Columbia, the experience is totally different. Being in such an active city gives you opportunities to explore different cultures in a diverse place. There’s so much cultural overlap, like there’s a Russian-Chinese restaurant in Brooklyn I’ve been to; just so much fusion that’s very interesting to see. And there really is no place that offers as many opportunities as New York City in terms of internships. I think that’s difficult to find anywhere else.