Roger Life Stories

Roger Life: Getting Involved with Kyle Villella

By Anna Cohen
image of InterClass Council Spirit Chair Kyle Villella with another student at a recent 65th Birthday Party for Roger
As Inter-Class Council Spirit Chair, Kyle Villella is charged with creating school spirit on campus. His first event was Feb. 25, a birthday party for RWU, with fun party activities and giveaways. It was in GHH, so people could come and participate in-person, with plenty of space to distance.

To build a sense of community and meet new people, sophomore Kyle Villella has gotten involved on campus: As an RA, an Admissions Ambassador, a member of the Campus Entertainment Network, and Spirit Chair for the Inter-Class Council.

Creating In-Person Connections: "Our biggest issue was that people were on Zoom all day. Would they really want to come to another Zoom event? Having more in-person events engages more people. I’m an RA as well and have some freshmen residents. I always make sure to send them all the in-person events that are still happening on campus so they can meet people."

Being Creative and Adapting: "Think more creatively. You have to have the mentality that things are going to be different to face all the circumstances we are facing. Things are going to change, so we adapt ourselves to new circumstances. Of course, you can’t have everyone super close to each other. It is a matter of bouncing ideas off one other to make things work."

What Being On Campus Means: "It means a lot to us. It means the University trusts us enough to make smart choices. Roger Williams is a community and we’ve all come together to work toward this goal of being on campus. We are privileged to be here."

Villella, of Barrington, R.I., is majoring in Secondary Education and Spanish, and minoring in Latin American and Latino Studies.

On Feb. 25 in the expansive GHH Atrium, the Inter-Class Council threw an in-person, socially-distanced birthday party for RWU, featuring games and activities. And there were cupcakes. Did you get to sign the banner wishing #hbd to RWU? Check out these party pics:

We plan to keep sharing stories of Roger Life and welcome suggestions: Email: stories@rwu.edu.

Roger Life Stories