This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UFL chapter.

Name: Victoria Messina
Born: Tampa
Age: 22
Major: Journalism
Hobbies: Cooking on a budget, longboarding, going to the beach, taking naps in her hammock and exploring nature trails

Victoria Messina is a soon-to-be graduate from UF, a future intern for POPSUGAR this summer and our soon-to-be missed Campus Correspondent here at Her Campus UFL. I asked Messina what UF means to her, how she feels about leaving Her Campus behind and what she expects as she is entering the adult world. Keep reading to learn her answers for these and other questions!

Her Campus: How long have you been writing at Her Campus UFL?
Victoria Messina: “I started my freshman spring semester as a writer and eventually worked my way up to be assistant editor, then feature editor and eventually becoming senior editor. Now I am the editor-in-chief, or Campus Correspondent. Most people don’t really do all those different positions but that’s just kind of how it worked out.”

HC: Do you feel sad leaving Her Campus UFL behind?
VM: “Absolutely! Her Campus UFL is like my child. I’ve spent a lot of time doing stuff for it and planning stuff for it. It’s going to be weird not having a meeting every Tuesday night at 7. That’s been a staple in my life since my freshmen year so that’s going to be weird. I’ve also really bonded with a lot of the girls so it’s going to be really hard to leave behind the chapter as a whole. I put so much time and dedication into making this organization what it is today. Having to leave that behind is really hard. It’s going to leave a void in my life for a little bit, but I am totally confident that the two girls taking over the chapter are going to do amazing, so I have no doubt in them. A lot of them look up to me, which is weird because I never thought I could be a role model to people. It’s nice that people do look up to me because I never thought I was capable of being a leader before I joined Her Campus.”

HC: If you could pick three words to describe Her Campus UFL what would they be?
VM: “I would say impactful, because it has really impacted all of my skills, including time management and leadership. Next I would say motivating, because it’s motivated me to be a better leader, writer and editor. Lastly, I would say fun, because the events are such a blast.”

HC: What was your reaction when you got the internship at POPSUGAR?
VM: “I actually started hysterically crying. I got the email around 7 p.m., but I didn’t read it until 12:30 a.m. I had been refreshing my Gmail constantly and kept on waiting. They told me it was going to be two weeks from when I interviewed with them and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t wait that long.’ Then a week later they had gotten back to me, and I just burst out into tears because it was the accumulation of so much stress over waiting. I ran into my roommate’s room and started screaming, I was so excited! It was just like a huge sigh of relief, because I knew the hard part was over. Playing the waiting game is so hard, especially when my entire future is riding on this. If I didn’t have this internship I don’t know that I would be making the move to New York this summer.”

HC: What are your feelings toward graduation and actually living in the “adult world”?
VM: “Definitely a very large mix of emotions. I’m obviously very sad to be leaving UF, because it has exceeded my expectations in terms of a college experience. I came here blindly not knowing anyone, so I really had no expectations. I didn’t realize that I would come out having made so many friends and receiving so much experience within my major that is going to serve me so well in the future. Just having such a tie to Gainesville and UF is so amazing, and it’s always going to keep me wanting to come back to visit. I just love this school more than life. There is definitely a sad part to it, but I definitely have no regrets and I definitely think I fulfilled all of my goals. I am nervous about my future, but mostly excited because I am moving to New York. But there is also the nervous side to it because I am probably not going to be making too much money. Thinking about eating ramen noodles and sandwiches for dinner every night is kind of weird, but I’m also really excited because I know I’ll make it work. If it means getting a part-time job on the side or whatever I know I’ll be fine. If I had to narrow down my feelings right now, I would say I’m feeling a twinge of sadness and nervousness, but mostly hopefulness.”

HC: Where do you see yourself in five years?
VM: “I can definitely see myself living in New York — at least while I’m in my twenties — working for an online media company or a print publication. That is where my passion lies, with online publications like POPSUGAR or a print publication like InStyle or Marie Claire. I hope to find a job that makes me excited to wake up every day. I know I’m not going to be working for the money, but that I’m going to be working because it’s something that makes me happy.”

HC: What are three things you are going to miss about UF?
VM: “Gamedays, the beautiful campus and my friends.”

HC: Will you come back to visit?
VM: “Absolutely, yes! I’m already trying to look at the football schedule and see if I can plan a gameday to come back for. I would be super sad if I had to go all of fall without coming to one crazy gameday in The Swamp.”

HC: Do you have anything you would like to say to your Her Campus UFL team?
VM: “To my Her Campus gals, stick with Her Campus and definitely stay involved. The organization can change your life and your future if you let it. If you work hard in your position and try to work up, you can get involved in the executive board. There’s an opportunity to make so many connections with girls on your team and with girls with similar interests at UF. Definitely stay with the organization because we’re an amazing team. I literally love everyone on the team — they all work so hard and I’m beyond proud of how much our chapter has grown since I’ve been involved. When I started we were not even a ranked chapter, and now we’re at the highest level, which is Pink and that’s amazing. I’d like to say a big thank you to all of those who put up with my awkwardness in the beginning when I took over as Campus Correspondent. I was super awkward in meetings and didn’t really know what I was doing, but I think I worked on that and grew a lot as a leader. Again, just stick with Her Campus UFL and don’t forget me!”

Photo Credit: Victoria Messina

Campus Correspondent of Her Campus UFL: Victoria Messina

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