What Are RAs’ Social Lives Like?
Each installment of The Friendship Files features a conversation between The Atlantic’s Julie Beck and two or more friends, exploring the history and significance of their relationship.
This week she talks with a man and a woman who met as residential assistants (RAs) at the University of Hartford about the unique social situation that arises when you are an authority figure to your peers. The job created occasional tension, but it also bonded them, and nearly a decade after graduation, they’re still as close as family.
The Friends:
Alex Perry, 31, a judicial officer at Morgan State University, who lives in Baltimore, Maryland
Jasmaine Seaberry, 30, a publicist who lives in New York City
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Julie Beck: When did you meet for the first time, and what were your first impressions of each other?
Jasmaine Seaberry: Let Alex tell you the story, and then I’ll tell you my version.
The first time I
