[A Picture of the dorm that the author had been a prefect in. Photo Credit to Chris Park]

In a boarding school dorm, student prefects can be both friends to the people around them and leaders with responsibilities to the wider community.

This role gives them opportunities to support younger students and build connections, but it can also become difficult when they have to balance those responsibilities with schoolwork and friendships.

As a current student prefect, I have experienced both the rewards and difficulties that come with helping students and taking responsibility within the dorm.  

One of the most challenging parts of being a prefect  is that the students I am responsible for are also the people I live with, spend time with and hang out with.

When a problem arises, I sometimes have to prioritize my responsibility to the dorm ahead of my personal relationships, even when the situation may feel uncomfortable.

These moments have taught me that leadership does not only mean giving orders or enforcing rules, but also requires listening carefully, communicating, and making fair decisions.

At the same time, being a prefect has allowed me to become someone who young students can approach when they need help, advice, or support while they adjust to new high school and boarding life. 

One advantage of being a prefect is having the opportunity to make a new student’s transition into the dorm less confusing or stressful.

Students who are new to boarding school may need help to understand dorm routine, living with roommates, managing their time, or becoming part of their community.

Since I had stayed in boarding school for 4 years and already experienced a process of adjusting to dorm life, I can answer questions and share advice based on the situations that I have experienced. 

Supporting another student does not always require solving a serious problem for them because listening, explaining an expectation, or including someone in the group can also make a huge difference.

One experience that showed me the importance of this role occurred during the first week of school.

During this situation, I helped an international student who has never been at boarding school, and he was having a hard time making friends, so I made him come to dorm events and invited him to my room and introduced him to my friends. 

This helped him realize that people here are nice and gave him courage to go talk to people by himself and make friends. 

This showed me that younger students may feel more comfortable discussing some concerns with a peer before approaching a faculty member directly and my role felt more important. 

However, being a prefect can also become difficult when my responsibilities conflict with my friendships.

One difficult situation occurred when one of my friends continued making noise during study hall while other students were trying to study and work.

Because I usually hung out with him and spent time with him as a friend, asking him to stop felt more uncomfortable than if I didn’t know him well. 

However, I understood that ignoring the situation would be unfair to the other students in the dorm, so I spoke to him personally and explained how his noise was affecting the community.

Although the conversation was uncomfortable, speaking to him respectfully allowed me to address the issue without making it feel like a personal conflict. 

This situation taught me that being a prefect sometimes requires making decisions that my friends may not agree with. 

It also showed me that leadership does not work best if I treat other students as if I have power over them, but taking responsibility while continuing to respect them.

Another challenge is balancing my schoolwork, assignments, activities, and personal time during a busy school week. 

Through these experiences, I have learned to organize my time, communicate effectively, and ask for help when a situation is too difficult to manage alone.

Being a prefect has given me opportunities to help younger students, build relationships, and become a more responsible leader within the dorm, school, and with my friends.

At the same time, this role has also taught me that a leader has to go through some uncomfortable situations and conversations, make difficult decisions and guide people who are also my friends.

Overall, my experience has shown me that a successful prefect is not simply someone who enforces rules, but someone who listens, acts fairly, and supports the people around them.