RA Interviews

Week 3 RA Interviews

The fourth and final week of interviews here at COSMOS with our RAs starts

with Alexis E. of Cluster 10 (Semiconductor Materials and Device Engineering),

a rising senior studying for double majors in Computer Science and Cognitive

Science. As an RA throughout the academic year who enjoyed interacting with

residents, Alexis wanted to do the same at COSMOS because it seemed like a

program she would’ve liked to attend as a high schooler. She’s led two activities

here, which were a hike to Pogonip Koi Pond and an origami session. The

origami ended up being her favorite activity since everyone was really engaged

and it was fun talking about the pieces people were making. The lip-sync battle

took center stage as her favorite COSMOS memory when she joined Cluster 10

for their performance, with the group ultimately securing 2nd place. In her free

time, Alexis enjoys taking ballet at UCSC’s Ballet Club, taking photos on her

camera, and doing anything crafty or artsy. Her favorite spot on the UCSC

campus is a bench located on a hill at Oakes College, which has an incredible

view that makes it perfect for doing some journaling or watching the sunset.

Her advice for COSMOS students is to do the things that you enjoy and make

good memories in the fleeting moments – “Your high school experience is what

you make of it.”

Our very last interview, but certainly not the least, is Cluster 10’s Ethan D., a

rising sophomore at UCSC majoring in Electrical Engineering and minoring in

Technology Information Management. He first learned about COSMOS in high

school when many of his friends talked about how fun the experience was. As a

result, when the opportunity arose to become an RA here, it was a no-brainer

decision to join the program. He has led two activities during his time here: a

hike, which was his favorite since it allowed him to share his hobby with the

students, and a tennis tournament. Ethan’s favorite memory here, like Alexis,

was the lip-sync battle because it was super rewarding to see all the planning

and work put towards the performance truly come to life. His hobbies are

hiking, photography, and adrenaline-inducing activities, such as snowboarding,

surfing, and rock climbing. His favorite place on the campus is the tree net

above Crown Apartments for its secluded and peaceful location. Ethan’s final

words of advice are to always trust your gut and stay true to yourself. These

two are the keys to success that will always help for getting through life,

especially in times when mistakes and setbacks seem too overwhelming.

This concludes the COSMOS 2026 RA Interviews series; thank you so much to

everyone here – and a special shout-out to all of the incredible RAs – who made

this experience truly special!

Written by Madeline Wang