By Catherine Kierce | Associate Editor
Tressie Fretschl is one of the newest faces to join Salve Regina’s Residence Life Staff as the RA of Garden Level Walgreen. Hailing from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Fretschl is in her junior year, and has established herself as an active member of Salve’s campus.
Along with the responsibilities of being an RA, Fretschl holds the secretary position in Salve’s Student Government Association. She also plays first clarinet for Newport Band, is a member of Sigma Phi Sigma, the SRU Social Work Advisory Committee, SRU Title IX Committee, and the SRU search committee for the new Dean of Undergraduate Students. Fretschl is also a mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ocean State.
Despite her packed day-to-day schedule, being present as an RA and available to residents in need ranks high in Fretschl’s priorities. She is happy to be assigned to Walgreen, a dorm housing first year residents, and where Fretschl resided her freshman year.
As Fretschl describes, being an RA for first year students is unlike any other position. The freshman transition comes with universal difficulties, and Fretschl says, “No one deserves to feel like they have no one.” As an RA, she hopes to ensure that each of her residents feels noticed, important, and recognizes their own worth as a member of the Salve community.
Fretschl cites her previous experience as a camp counselor as what motivated her to be an RA in college. She is used to being in an environment where she is someone’s go-to person, and finds joy in knowing she has helped someone. “Freshmen need you as a constant resource, the same way I was needed as a camp counselor,” explains Fretschl; “I’m now available to freshman for emotional support, roommate support, or as a source of direction to another resource that they might be needing.”
Aside from camp, Fretschl’s upbringing was also heavily influenced by Broadway and the classics. Throughout her childhood, Fretschl’s grandmother surrounded her with the voices of Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, and Julie Andrews. When she reached middle school, Fretschl began following Broadway and Idina Menzel more closely, and still today she is an avid show-goer.
On her most recent trip to New York, Fretschl attended three Broadway shows in one weekend. Fretschl describes not only a love for the shows, talent, and live performances, but for the Broadway Community as a whole. “It’s such an inclusive environment,” Fretschl says, “Full of incredibly talented people who help others, whether it be through their outward support of the LGBTQ community, or support of charities such as finding a cure for AIDS.”
During her summers away from Salve, Fretschl is still an active member of her community. This past summer, she served as a fellow for the New Hampshire Democratic Coordinated Campaign, where she spent time campaigning for Hillary Clinton and Maggie Hassan. She hopes that her current internship at DCYF in juvenile probation will help her secure a summer 2017 position under the Elizabeth Warren campaign. If not, Fretschl will return to Bourne Scenic Park, where she plans and executes activities for the camp’s Recreation Department.
With aspirations to eventually embark on a career in public policy, Fretschl believes Salve’s Social Work program is the right place for her to start. Originally enrolled as a nursing major, Fretschl added a minor in human services her sophomore year, and realized the necessary switch to a social work major after only a few days of classes. Fretschl recalls quickly making the connection, “The questions social work professionals ask about the world are the questions I ask myself.”
