Since 2009, Her Campus has served as an uplifting and empowering platform for college women to share their experiences, advice, and to connect with each other. It’s a place to share our different interests or opinions that open our minds to the multi-faceted experience of womanhood. There are over 350 chapters across 11 countries, reaching college women everywhere!
In honor of Women’s History Month, I wanted to highlight the leaders who work to ensure the women who join their chapter are met with an open community of female solidarity. For this, I interviewed Her Campus at FSU’s President, Bella Bozied, and Editor-In-Chief, Fabiana Beuses.
Her Campus (HC): When you first took on leadership roles, what was initially important to you in leading a female-focused organization?
Bella Bozied (BB): The most important part is highlighting everyone’s passion and leading with positivity. Especially in a female-focused organization, it’s so important to not only make connections as a leader but also as a person. The more you know and connect with the women you lead, the more you can uplift them! I ask myself, “How can I help the women around me succeed and supply them with opportunities that will bring them joy?”
Fabiana Beuses (FB): One of my main goals as Editor-in-Chief is to provide resources that will benefit our chapter members in their future media industry careers. From hosting workshops to explaining the rationale behind editorial decisions, I do my best to lead the women of HCFSU with a blend of expertise, humility, and compassion.
HC: How would you fit the narrative of Her Campus into Women’s History Month? What are your goals as leaders to faithfully honor the month?
BB: Her Campus was created by three women who still run the company together, which speaks volumes to Women’s History Month. When women come together to work off each other’s strengths and uplift each other, anything is possible! My goals as President are to make sure all our platforms highlight not just the month itself but also the importance of it. Everyone in Her Campus has a strong voice, so when it’s used to highlight significant topics like Women’s History Month, we want our social content to reflect and uplift their message.
FB: Here at HCFSU, we foster a community of like-minded, ambitious students and give them a unique platform to share their opinions and passions with the world. Women’s voices not only need to be heard but also celebrated, and we do just that! To honor the women who’ve paved our path, our chapter designates March as Women’s History Theme Month. We encourage our writers to write as much as they want about women’s history, influential female figures, and feminism all month long!
HC: Her Campus is a safe space for women to express themselves without any antagonism. When differing opinions seem to surround the world, how important is it to you to foster a safe space for all women at HCFSU?
BB: The beautiful thing about any organization, especially one that cultivates a space for and by women, is that we’re all so different! Whether it’s unbiased news or an opinion piece — and respectful above all — we should hear it! Different perspectives are so important to listen to and take in so we can broaden our landscapes of thinking. We’re so proud of being an elite-level chapter because we include so many women with various ways of thinking!
FB: Her Campus at FSU captures what it’s like to be a Gen Z college student and woman at FSU. We want to tell our truth — all our truths. We aim to create an environment where all our writers feel comfortable expressing themselves. Whether they’re writing a vulnerable personal essay or a controversial pop culture critique, I want our staff to feel supported and confident in sharing their authentic voices!
HC: What is one issue regarding women’s rights that you’re passionate about? What would you recommend we all do to create change?
BB: What stands out in my mind is when women aren’t taken seriously. This ripples into so many aspects of our lives, like in business, classrooms, and relationships. It can be seen in different ways every day. Something we can all do is stand together, uplift other women, and stand confidently yourself! Make it a point to actively listen and stand up for others when they need it. If a woman is speaking and gets cut off, circle back and ask her to finish. These efforts, small or large, help us stand stronger together every day.
FB: Lifestyle and entertainment journalism are stigmatized as frivolous work, and that judgment is inextricably linked with sexism. “Women’s journalism” is legitimate and should be taken as seriously as any other kind of reporting (if not more — a woman’s perspective is a powerful thing!). Female journalists are rewriting the narrative around lifestyle journalism through the depth of their work. People might change their perception of it if they actually cracked open a copy of Cosmo.
HC: In 2023’s blockbuster Barbie, fans across the world shed tears at the same montage depicting the special and mundane moments of girlhood. What aspects of your girlhood have resurfaced in womanhood?
BB: A huge part of my girlhood and womanhood is comprised of the women in my family and the beautiful life they’ve cultivated for me. One memory from that girlhood is watching my mother undergo breast cancer when I was in eighth grade. I saw the physical changes, the pain, and the fight she gave. No matter what, she was always grateful for the help we received and held a positive attitude. Even in womanhood, I’ve had to watch her go through it all over again, fighting her second diagnosis — colon cancer — last year. She’s always prevailed. She was strong during her surgeries, as she worked, and when she took care of her family and me.
FB: When you’re a young girl, you see the good in everything. You believe you’re capable of achieving anything you set your mind to, and you have the courage to dream big. Somewhere on the road from “girl” to “woman,” the baby-pink-colored lenses start to lose their saturation. But why should they? We carry the younger version of ourselves throughout our lives. I’m 21 now, but I’m also 18, 12, and seven. The little girl inside of us still believes in herself. You owe it to her to live the life she always dreamed of.
Both Bozied and Beuses began their time at HCFSU in the spring of 2021 and entered their respective leadership positions in May 2023. Now in their final semester at FSU and both graduating with double majors, these women are stellar examples of what it means to work hard and uplift other women doing the same. They continue to serve as incredible role models for their time as upstanding women in leadership.
The history of women was written in solidarity, and it’s hard to fight a fight without each other.
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