As an incoming freshman at CU Boulder, all I wanted was to make new friends and branch out, and what better way to do this than to go through the process of sorority rush? For those of you who don’t know what this is, rushing is a week-long process of getting to know sororities with the end goal of joining one. Long story short, I quickly realized that rush and sorority life were not for me, so I dropped out of the process. However, I still had a desire for new friendships and I knew I needed to join some other social aspect of CU. I remembered seeing social media posts for something called “Her Campus CU Boulder” and I saw that they were having an informational meeting. I decided to attend it, and the rest is history. As my college experience wraps up, here is what HCCU helped me find.
New Friends
To reiterate, my initial goal at the beginning of freshman year was to make friends, and HCCU was a great starting point for that. I know some people are close with others in their dorm, but I was not, so HCCU meetings were something I genuinely looked forward to every Tuesday. I loved being with like-minded people my freshman year and branching out like I wanted to, whether that be through the chapter meetings or other bonding events we had. Some people that I’ve met through this organization are friends that I will have for a long time, if not the rest of my life, and our paths wouldn’t have crossed without Her Campus.
A Creative Outlet
It’s a magazine, duh. No, but seriously, HCCU was the creative outlet I didn’t know I needed. I am naturally more analytical than creative, but I’ve always loved to write. I went back and forth between the idea of starting a blog (which I might still do) but Her Campus allowed me to write whatever I wanted and have it published for whoever to see. It helped spark a passion for writing that I didn’t even fully recognize until I became a writer for HCCU. Now that I’m graduating, I’ll definitely miss having this outlet, but I’m glad that writing is an activity I can continue for the rest of my life if I so desire.
Leadership Experience
This is something that I did not expect to gain from HCCU, but I am so lucky that I did. Upon entering college, I lacked substantial leadership experience, as the only jobs I’d worked at that point had been babysitting or other such experiences that didn’t require a lot of “leading”. When the opportunity arose to join the executive team in the fall of 2020, I applied to be an editorial assistant and I think it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself. This led me to be the Editor-in-Chief this semester, which gave me such valuable experience with writing and collaborating with others, and not to mention, it looks great on a resume. Through this role, I have gained newfound confidence that I didn’t know I could feel, and I love it so much. I will forever carry this knowledge and these skills with me.
As much as I am trying not to be overly emotional about the end of college, Her Campus CU Boulder is an organization that I will genuinely miss being a part of. It gave me what I needed my freshman year, and since then, I’ve gained skills that will only benefit me. I’m so glad that I decided to go to that informational meeting, and I truly don’t think I’d be myself without these last three years at HCCU.