Even as the last flowers of summer begin to wilt, Liv Bloom, director of both Breuninger (Breu) and Gerig Halls, hopes to foster growth in the communities around her.
Stepping into the connected dorms this year, Bloom already had a passion for sowing seeds of leadership. Having previously worked at Concordia University and developing a background in counseling, ministry and psychology, her studies prepared her to pour out into others in a variety of ways.
“I think a lot of it (leadership development) comes with just little pieces that I do with my staff,” Bloom said. “During staff meetings or one on ones, or just any other times, (I want to challenge them) to see how it can help them develop as a person, to essentially do their job better too, but to also be a better person in general.”
The challenge to grow is a personal one for Bloom. While students might find her working in the LaRita Boren Campus Center or out around campus, Bloom noted she hadn’t always been so outgoing.
Entering college at Spring Arbor University her freshman year produced a season of transformation in Bloom’s life, allowing her to trade her previous shyness for newfound deeper roots in intentionality and community.
“If someone would have looked at me like a few years prior, they would … have never thought (I) would do something like that,” Bloom said. “I did a semester abroad. I was in a leadership position as well on campus, where I mentored freshmen throughout their entire first year of college. I did all these things to intentionally help others grow. But I was also growing in myself too.”
Now, Bloom is growing in other ways and learning as much from students as she’s able to teach. Bringing with her old traditions she hopes to adapt while remaining open to and embracing the cultures that both Breuninger and Gerig have to offer, Bloom said the event she’s most looking forward to is the halls’ combined Thanksgiving dinner.
The dinner, which consists of a line of tables stretching from the Breu lobby to Gerig, is a family-style meal. Students sign up to cook their favorite Thanksgiving dishes and join together from both residence halls, encouraged by floor and hall leadership to sit not with their suitemates or friends, but with neighbors from the opposite dorm.
Still, it’s one of only a few shared traditions between the two buildings.
“Even though they're connected right here, it doesn't always feel like there's a ton of overlap between the two, besides sharing a laundry room,” Bloom said. “And so, I'm excited to see that connection … And that's kind of my hope this year too, even with the staffs, is, let's foster community between the buildings.”
At the same time, Bloom emphasized that she doesn’t plan to shift the culture of either dorm individually. The intertwining she talked about is one that’s still meant to respect the difference in styles for both buildings, while encouraging a greater degree of intermingling and relationship.
Connection through separation is symbolic of Bloom’s life as a hall director as well. Though part of campus, she also recognizes her detachment from student life. For her, it’s as easy as stepping through the door to her apartment, creating a seamless transition from work to home life.
“It doesn't feel like living on a college campus as much as some people would think it does,” Bloom said. “Once you step out of the door, you know you're gonna see so many people, you know you're gonna pass by students. There's always gonna be something going on. But that's the enjoyable part … when I do step out, that means I'm wanting to engage with what's going on outside of my home in my apartment.”
Her goal is that the transition from Breu’s community to Gerig’s will function similarly, as easy as passing through the “Wormhole” or connecting hallway that bridges the two halls.
She also hopes to add to Taylor’s culture by drawing on experiences from her previous work in residence life. Already, Bloom is hoping to integrate and adapt small events to help the interconnection between dorms blossom, though nothing is set in stone at this time.
For now, she hopes to put down roots of her own, becoming grounded in Taylor culture even as she reaches out to students and makes herself more available for her residents. Her biggest hope is that students would be willing to share in that growth as well.
