When I was approached by the previous Campus Correspondent and told that I should apply for this position, I was a little hesitant. Throughout my life, I have always been more of a follower than a leader, always retreating when it came to the opportunity to be president of a club, organizer of a project, or frontwoman of some sort of collective process. But, I knew in my heart I wanted so badly to be the leader of something, I just didn’t have the confidence or security to convince myself I could.
I took the fearless queen Ali Senal’s advice and applied for the position, and I ended up getting it. I was so shocked & overwhelmed, but at the same time proud of myself. All the hesitations and insecurities I had about not being seen as a good enough leader in the past suddenly changed. I could be a leader and a damn good one too.
My aspiration of being a leader was never rooted in solely wanting power but as a chance to inspire people, especially as a member of a generation that is empowered and hungry for change.
My main goal as the Campus Correspondent of Her Campus Muhlenberg is to empower one another, to listen to each other’s’ unique perspectives, ideas, and thoughts. As much as possible, I want to have each individual voice on this campus encapsulated on a national college magazine platform such as Her Campus. I want to take an intersectional approach to every piece of content we put out, including black, brown, latinx, asian, indigenous, polynesian, queer, trans, non-binary, disabled, immigrant, and low-income voices. Let’s start conversations about a wide range of topics, even ones that are typically seen as uncomfortable to talk about, such as racism, sexism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, and a wide range of current events happening in the nightmare that is our political climate today.
Whether it is a news or fashion article, intersectionality will always be the goal. At a predominantly white institution and a predominantly white college chapter magazine, we need to approach these issues more than ever.
Another main goal of mine is developing a bond between every member of the Her Campus team. We are a community of people with not just a passion for writing, but a passion for influencing the people around us with our opinions and different perspectives on life. We each bring different backgrounds and experiences to the table that will further the other one’s knowledge of how one lives and exists in the world. Her Campus is a women-centered magazine with a predominantly female perspective on every piece of content. However, we happily accept cisgender men, trans men and women, and non-binary people to broaden our horizons so that we can change the course of what Her Campus stands for.
Since we are an independent college magazine at Muhlenberg, writers are guaranteed that none of their content is going to be censored or watered down. They can express their unfiltered opinions in any way they please. Free-thinking is always encouraged by our writers; how they see the world is critical in our work at Her Campus Muhlenberg.
We had a very successful year last year, with HC Muhlenberg achieving the national “Platinum” level rating in the Fall 2017 semester and an even higher “Pink” level rating in the Spring 2018 semester. Two of our writers, Ali Senal and Ella Bruck, received awards from Her Campus Nationals for Best Feature: News/Current Events (Ali) and Best Profile: Student (Ella). My goal is obviously to reach higher and achieve more. I want to not just bond together as writers, but as women and people with shared triumphs and struggles of going through life in a small, private, predominantly white, liberal arts college in the Northeast.
I am over the moon to start this journey as Campus Correspondent with all of you. I cannot wait for all the new opportunities and excitement that will come this year. I love you all.
Love,
Caroline Kinney, your Her Campus Muhlenberg Campus Correspondent for the 2018-2019 School Year.