Co-Founders of HC Bryant-Makena & Hillary

Year: 2014

Major/Minor: International Business/Marketing/Spanish

Hometown: Canterbury, CT

 

Name: Makena Sage

Year Graduated: 2012

Job Position: Director of Marketing & Product Development for NY Times bestselling author, Dr. Sara Gottfried

Hometown: San Diego, CA

MS: I heard about Her Campus through an employee at Academic Programs International, the program I studied abroad with (and later completed a year as one of their Peer Mentors). He knew I did a ton of travel writing while abroad, and suggested I might want to look into starting an HC chapter at my school. I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I applied, but I am so happy with the way everything turned out. It was a labor of love that has grown into an organization I feel proud to have helped bring to women at Bryant. 

 

HC: Makena and I met through our job as Research Assistants at the OPIR Office. Part of the 2020 Plan was to increase female enrollment to 50%. Makena had mentioned Her Campus as an out of work idea, but we soon found it was the perfect fit for the 2020 Plan. We began applying and working with faculty and staff to make the idea become reality and before we knew it, we had our own chapter! We both had a passion for female leadership, writing, and managing and the whole project came together perfectly. 

MS: Even though many women are successful in business-and at Bryant-today, I feel as though we still have a long way to go to really embrace and celebrate a more feminine approach to success. Her Campus seemed like the perfect way to bridge those worlds because it attracted intelligent, driven women who also like to be girly and have fun. I also personally love to write and mentor/work with other women, so HC was the perfect “senior capstone project,” if you will. 

 

HC: Continuing with Makena’s response, I believe it is really important to foster female leaders, both at Bryant and around the world. While we have the capability to be as smart and strong as men, it is important not to downplay our feminine sides. HC Bryant fosters a community for Bryant females that not only provides a comfortable place to come together but also allows girls across campus to connect through our articles. We bring the life of Bryant women to the world wide web and it has truly helped the feminine side of Bryant to be embraced. 

MS: Oh my goodness… I feel like we really took the organization from zero to sixty in a matter of months! We applied with the HC headquarters in the fall, worked over winter break to come up with the systems and structure, and in the spring it was all about becoming an official organization, attracting members, and getting things to a point where we could hand it off to a new E-Board before finals and graduation. I pulled MANY all-nighters and I think Hillary and I wrote most of the articles ourselves in the beginning. But it was completely worth it. I’m so proud at what the organization has become, and happy to have left behind a little bit of a “legacy” at Bryant. 

 

I guess the hardest part about leaving it behind was that I feel like I didn’t get to enjoy the fruits of all that labor for long. There were so many great memories and friendships formed in one semester that I often wish I’d had longer to spend with the organization. But it is what it is, and life after Bryant is pretty amazing too. (P.S. If any of you move to Cali after graduation you’d better look me up!)

HC: Holy moly, how HC Bryant has evolved from when we first started. As Makena stated, we went from zero to sixty overnight. We started out as a fun idea and by the time the semester ended we had a group of 10 girls ready to take over and continue our magazine. And now, a club of over 60 regular members, one of the top 5 chapters in the nation, and continually being recognized nationally-I never could have imagined it would come so far. 

 

Leaving after initially founding it was difficult as I had to pass something I had worked so hard on off for a semester. Being a bit of a control freak, it really helped me to grow as a person having to pass it off. Luckily, I had such an amazing team that made wonderful changes while I was gone, helped our chapter to grow, and allowed me to transition back into it flawlessly. 

MS: I just hope the organization continues to grow and inspire new generations of women at Bryant for many years to come. I’d love to be able to come back to my ten year reunion and meet a group of empowered, intelligent young women who are carrying the torch and keeping the spirit of fun and friendship alive. 

 

HC: I honestly just hope it continues to serve the same purpose it does now, while continuing to grow. I love that HC Bryant has created a fun, exciting community for Bryant females, all while fostering leadership. The friendships I have formed throughout Her Campus are by far some of the best I have created during my time at Bryant and I hope HC Bryant enables relationships and bonds that last far beyond four years. 

HC: As I am in the process of applying to jobs now – let me tell you all, it pays off. I have not only learned to balance my time flawlessly, but I have received numerous opportunities from faculty and staff simply from the relationships I have created and reputation I have built as a leader. Aside from the networking aspect, getting involved, being a leader, and dipping my toes in numerous organizations has helped me to grow into a more understanding, easy going, and hardworking person and I cannot wait to see how these traits carry over into my career. 

 

MS: Involvements are such a great way to make friends and explore your interests outside of the classroom. I’ll admit to having been a bit over-involved, but I also had some of my best times during late-night event planning sessions or hanging out with my HC girls. And believe it or not, the experience of launching Her Campus has helped me just as much career-wise as many of my classes or internships. So you never know where getting involved will take you. 

MS: Absolutely! I basically started my post-college career as a freelance copywriter and then transitioned into what I do now, which still involves a ton of writing as well as project management, internet marketing and managing a virtual team. Launching Her Campus was amazing practice for nearly all of those things. Many of the systems and skills I developed during that time translate directly to my career today. 

 

I know Bryant tends to promote a lot of corporate jobs, which are a great fit for many people. But don’t be afraid to venture out and try freelancing or starting your own business either. There is so much opportunity out there, and this can be a really rewarding and lucrative career path if you have the passion and work ethic to make it happen. If that’s intriguing to you, feel free to reach out to me! I love mentoring people who are curious about alternative career options. 

HC: Her Campus. It has literally become my life. It is hard to picture my life without Her Campus consuming 80% of it. The Her Campus girls are my best friends, writing articles about everything from books, to fashion, to sex is my form of relaxation, and leading the most amazing group of women makes it all so easy. I do not know what I am going to do without it. I am sure I will start blogging as a result of habit, and to help fill the void, and I am sure I will be visiting my girls as often as possible. But college wouldn’t have been college for me without this amazing experience and I will truly miss it.