GPI - Christopher Addario, Assistant Director of Residence Life

By Sophia Oppedisano

Editor-in-Chief

Courtesy of Christopher Addario

What is your academic and professional background?

I started my journey at Salem State University. I have a bachelor's degree in chemistry, and I worked as a resident assistant (RA) there for two years, and then I was a head RA. I fell in love with higher education and working with students, so I went to Boston College for my graduate program and got my master's in higher education administration. During that time, I worked at Babson College as an assistant area director. Then, I came here as a resident director and I worked in Larned Hall for three years! I loved it! Now, I'm over in West Hall as the assistant director.

What do you love about working in Residence Life?

There are a lot of things, but, and this is going to sound really cheesy, but the students. In ResLife, we are very much our own department because we handle a lot, and every single day, I get to interact with students. That just makes me feel really happy to be doing the work that I'm doing, and especially working with my RAs. I get to work with them on a very close level, and seeing their transition and their growth just really makes the job really, really beneficial for me. If you boil it down, it’s definitely the students - 1,000%.

What drew you to Framingham State?

What drew me to Framingham State was the opportunity to work for a state school. Working for a state school is very different and very unique, and there's something here that, as a professional, you don't get at a private institution. There are some amazing students over at private institutions, but working in a state school, you just get to work with some amazing students, and you have different experiences that you don't experience at a private institution. That's what drove me here, because I was at Salem State, and I'm a state school student through and through. Working at Babson was just very different, and it was very eye-opening, but I was like, “I need to go back to the state school system and work there,” and then the job opened here for an RD.

What are your hobbies or interests outside of your professional life?

Outside of my professional life, I'm a big movie head. I love watching a movie. I also love watching TV shows. I'm not very active outdoors, because, you know, I always say that I need to get a dog to become more active, but I'm a cat person - 1,000%. So it really kind of brings me to seclude myself in my house with my cat that I love deeply, but watching a movie and watching TV shows - it sounds very boring, but that's definitely one of my favorite hobbies. I just picked up watching “Once Upon a Time” - great show. I remember when it came out, and I only watched the first season, but now I'm hooked, and I have been watching that during my time off.

Why is student leadership important? 

For college students, you come here, and you're here to get a degree, and that's what I want every student to do. There are amazing students here who are very much determined to get their degree, but you're not just paying for the classes - you are also paying to be involved. Getting involved on a college campus is one of the best things that you can do. People talk about the college experience, and they always talk about parties, and there are giant events that happen, but no, the college experience is making connections, and that's really what it boils down to. Getting involved allows you to open the doors to have the experience that you are ultimately paying for here. Here at Framingham, we offer so many student leadership positions. When you think about resident assistants, Student Government Association, orientation leaders, or even being a part of a club, it allows you to do something outside of the classroom. I think that a lot of the time, too, especially working in ResLife, there's this idea that to be involved, you also have to live on campus, but no, it's open for commuters as well. I love to promote living on campus, but no, every student, whether a commuter or resident, can get involved and make the connections, because that's how you're going to get the student experience that everybody talks about in college life.