I can’t believe that I graduate so soon, and I’m starting to realize all of the things that I will miss most about college. One of those things will be Her Campus at Illinois State.
I first found HC at ISU when I was a freshman living in Manchester. It was the first few weeks of school and I wanted to find information about campus from current and past ISU students, and after some Google searches, I stumbled across the Her Campus page. I immediately began reading article after article, and I eventually started reading content that wasn’t even related to life at college. Since I was reading so many of the articles, I thought about trying to join the group myself.
I held onto that thought for about a month until sorority recruitment hit. I was feeling overwhelmed and didn’t know what house I would end up at, if any. So, during an off round, I did some research and submitted an application to be a writer for HC at ISU. I was excited about possibly getting the chance to write for fun in college. Writing was always a favorite hobby of mine, but I wasn’t sure I would have the time or chance to do so in any of my gen-eds. So, needless to say, I was super excited when I found out I was accepted and would join the writing team.
I loved getting to know all of the girls and starting writing my own articles. Everyone was super welcoming and made me feel more comfortable with trying to make friends on campus. I fell in love with having a group of girls to turn to when I needed advice, and I had a lot of fun talking to all of them. I was inspired by the CCs that year: Ashley and Mia. They seemed like they were so put-together and were ready to conquer the world, and I dreamed that I could be in their shoes someday.
Unfortunately, the pandemic hit at the end of my freshman year, so my sophomore year was spent online. However, this was also the year I took on my first leadership role with the group. Being the Content Strategist was so much fun! I loved doing research on what types of new and original content we could produce, and I got the chance to work with other writers on developing their articles. I also held the position my junior year, and I feel like I got closer with the girls in HC at ISU because I was interacting with them all more frequently. Again, over those two years, I saw amazing women take charge of our chapter. Annamarie, Celina, Lynn, and Allie all showed me how to be good leaders, and working with them inspired me to really push myself with my articles and with the behind-the-scenes work I got to do.
I took a bit of a leap of faith in the spring and applied to be one of this year’s chapter leaders, or Campus Correspondents. My experience in this role has been one of the biggest blessings of my college career. Not only am I proud of all of the content I’ve produced over these past three and a half years, I am immensely honored to have led this group of bright and talented women this semester. I gushed over their work to my sorority sisters, and I cheered them on from near and far. I’ve helped onboard new members who will be the new driving forces behind this chapter when I’m gone. I’ve seen writers rise to the occasion, tell personal stories, and step out of their comfort zones. And in difficult times when we faced issues, it warmed my heart to have them support me and cheer me on as I did my best to make sure their experiences with Her Campus were just as impactful and special as mine has been.
I’ve gotten the chance to push myself out of my comfort zones as well. Just this year I wrote an article about how I wrote a book. I’ve touched on topics that are important to me, like Breast Cancer and Brain Tumor Awareness, and I’ve even expressed how much I love books, hockey, and trashy reality tv. Finally, I’m most proud of my interview with Steph Bohrer. It is the representation of the passion I have for Her Campus and the opportunities it has given me both personally and professionally.
I leave Her Campus at Illinois State with tears in my eyes and warmth in my heart. I adore this group and the lessons I’ve learned from them will be ones that I carry with me forever.
For the final time:
HCXO,
Caitlin