2025-2026 JA Self-Nominations due December 20
Link to apply to be a JA for 2025-2026!
What They Are and How They Help Shape Your First Williams Year
What is a JA? Junior Advisors (JA) are a cornerstone of first-year residential life at Williams College. JAs are Williams Juniors who live with first-year students as mentors while they acclimate to college life. JAs help connect first year student to resources, how different college systems work, what all the acronyms mean, but above all JAs are friends, who just happen to know the lay of the land.
Living is comprised of “entries,” or groups of around 25-35 first-year students who live in a section of a dorm with two Junior Advisors. From the get-go JAs were required to oversee weekly discussion groups held by each entry, facilitate interaction between different backgrounds, foster the exploration of “an interest in questions of which (first-years have) hitherto had little or no knowledge”, and serve as role models for new Williams students.
JAs work closely with entry residents to conceptualize, develop, monitor, and enhance the programming and experiences in the dorms. As mentors, JAs are trained in various aspects of community living and work closely with, and are supported by campus partners including the First-Year Area Coordinators, Davis Center, the Dean’s Office, the Chaplains’ Office, IWS, the Office of Accessible Education, the ’68 Center for Career Exploration, Campus Safety and Security, and many others community building. With these partnerships, JAs are equipped to…
- connecting to campus resources
- engaging in conflict resolution
- create programming in response to community desire and need
- understanding the importance of identity characteristics and privilege in shaping power dynamics
- utilizing active listening and dialogue skills
JAs frequently describe their experiences as transformative, and report that they develop and strengthen an entirely new set of skills over the course of their time in the role. The JA and first-year living model is an opportunity for growth for all.