Three of a Kind: Saint Mary’s Remarkable Trio of RA Sisters

Ciara Pedroncelli ’12, Meghan Pedroncelli ’15, and Caila Pedroncelli ’19 are typical siblings with one big exception—they all are (or were) resident advisors at Saint Mary’s College. According to Dean of Students Evette Castillo Clark, this is extremely rare.

“It is so unique to find siblings who have served in the RA role at Saint Mary’s,” Clark said.” Personally, from working at other higher education institutions, I don't know three siblings who served as resident advisors at one institution,” she said.

Being an RA at Saint Mary’s is a lot of responsibility. Resident advisors live in residence halls all year, serving as the primary point of contact for residents and addressing issues like college demands, homesickness, the challenges of communal living, and more. Samantha Alberto ’12, MA ’19, lead residential coordinator, would argue that Saint Mary’s resident advisors have even more duties compared to other institutions. “Unlike most institutions where RDs [resident directors] are full-time, Saint Mary’s resident directors are Christian Brothers, faculty, and staff who have other responsibilities,” Alberto said. “As a result, our RAs are true paraprofessionals in the residence halls.”

This level of responsibility didn’t deter the Sacramento-born Pedroncelli sisters. In fact, they attribute their shared desire to become resident advisors and serve others—with Ciara paving the way and inspiring her younger siblings—to living out their family values and the Saint Mary’s mission.

Caila, the youngest sister and a politics major and history minor, attributes her experience as a Weekend of Welcome leader for her desire to become an RA. She wanted to have an impact beyond new students’ first weekends. “I realized I wanted a more formal way to help and care for students, to be whatever they needed me to be,” she said.

The oldest sister, Ciara, who graduated in accounting and is now a senior auditor with Gilbert Associates in Sacramento, recalls fondly a Valentine’s Day program that brought together all of her diverse residents. “To see the different groups of residents—all fifty of them—be able to come sit in a hallway and decorate cupcakes, and all be able to talk with each other and get along, was very fulfilling,” she said. “It was gratifying knowing you created a safe space for them.”

Equally important, according to the sisters, resident advisors should have a sense of humor, which was immediately evident among them. At one point, Ciara quipped, “Resident advisors are not out to get you. It’s too much paperwork,” she said, laughing.

The Pedroncellis say anyone thinking about becoming a resident advisor needs to do it for the right reasons. Middle sister Meghan, who is now pursuing a master’s degree in speech therapy at Sacramento State, noted that the desire needs to be for more than a paycheck. “It is exhausting work,” she said. “But at the same time, the enjoyment and fulfillment I got from working with my residents and resident director made up for the nights that my friends would go out and I would be on duty.”

Meghan also added that her experience as a resident advisor prepared her well for her current academic program. “There hasn't really been a personality type since I've been in graduate school that I don’t know how to handle or react to,” she said.

Ciara summarizes that being a resident advisor ultimately enables you to be a better adult: “After you graduate, there can be many unanswered questions. You're still kind of learning about yourself,” she said. “But I think being an RA almost prepares you to figure things out. You had to problem solve when you were an RA. If something happens like that in your hall, there's no time. You have to solve it then. You have to know who to call, what to do.”