Junior shares five ways to be happy

Before she passed away, Georges Richa’s grandmother taught him five ways to live a happy life.

“They were all based off experiences from her life,” Richa said.

Richa, a Rutgers Business School junior, said his grandmother was a powerful influence on his life, and he values her lessons every day.  

When searching for potential students to present at last month’s Mark Conference, Richa said organizers looked at students who have left marks on others. He decided to change the structure and talk about his grandmother, who left a mark on him.

 “She showed me that life is too short to be anything but happy,” he said.

Along with his duties as a full-time student, Richa said he is also involved a few organizations both on and off campus. He is a new student orientation leader as well as a resident assistant on the College Avenue campus.

He chose these two positions because he could potentially impact students, both current and incoming.

“At this time in our lives, we are still figuring out who we are,” he said. “It’s important to know who you are and what makes you you. Be proud of who you are.”

Kristin Cothran, associate director of New Student Orientation and Family Programs, said Richa is a rare student when it comes to passion and drive.

“He knows exactly who he is and where he wants to go … what he wants to do,” she said. “His passion and desire shine through in everything he does.”

Cothran said Richa is an outstanding new student orientation leader. He wants to make an impact — not just on his own life, but on the lives of everyone he meets.

“I lived in Davidson [Hall] the same year as Tyler Clementi,” Richa said. “I know how unsafe and uncomfortable someone can be in their own skin. I wanted to help people feel safe and at home.”

Richa said he decided to become a new student orientation leader because it allows him to become a part of the culture change and introduce new students to the University.

“Every year, new people come onto campus, and I wanted to help them feel welcome and happy,” he said. “It was an opportunity I did not want to pass up on.”

Cothran said Richa not only thinks about the students on campus now, but he also considers future students and how the public education system will affect them.

“He has this plan to use what he will learn about business and finance to eventually work in the education field,” she said. “He is approaching it in a different manner than anyone else has before.”

Richa volunteers at the American Conference on Diversity to work for equality. He said he believes inequality exists in the structure of schools and wants to see a change, and he believes identity should not limit a person’s educational opportunities.

Cothran said Richa would not try to climb the corporate ladder. Instead, he strives to forge his own path.

“He is taking the winding path. For him, it’s not a ladder [to success] — it’s a journey,” she said.

Michele Lam, a hall director for Housing and Residence Life on the College Avenue campus, said Richa asked to work with her this year.

Richa said he signed up to become a residence assistant after his first year on campus. He wanted to help students to feel comfortable in the residence halls.

Lam said Richa gives great advice and is a great listener. He is also a valuable resource to students because he grew up in New Brunswick.

“He is very invested in this area,” she said. “He even goes back to his old high school and talks with current students, telling them what college life is like.”

Cothran said Richa would continue to impact lives even after his time at the University has ended.

“Remember his name — you will hear it again,” she said. “He will make a serious impact in his life on future society.”