I knew that I wanted this to be my last article since I started senior year. Honestly, I probably knew it since Her Campus at Geneseo first launched in November 2017, when I was only a little over two months into my freshman year. Funnily enough, I heard about the launch from my cousin, who had been a national contributor for Her Campus during her college years. I’m so thankful I took a chance on that small club before it was even recognized by Geneseo.
While HC at Geneseo was small at first, I didn’t mind it at all. We did our best to advertise on social media and word-of-mouth. When we became an official organization at Geneseo in Spring 2019 (I think lol), things changed. We were able to attend club fairs, host events and reach the entire Geneseo campus community.
I continued applying for more positions beyond just being a contributing writer, from editor to secretary. Eventually, I became Co-Campus Correspondent my junior year. My Co-CC and I took on the position with barely any training, and we definitely fumbled a lot. COVID didn’t help anything, and I was disappointed when my Co-CC wouldn’t be returning for our final year. In fact, we only had six members—most of them from our e-board—for the start of fall 2020.
I don’t want to go into all of the details of what happened, but I was scared that HC at Geneseo wouldn’t survive. I took the responsibility of being the sole CC seriously, and I didn’t want Her Campus to fail under my leadership. With the help of my amazing e-board, things turned around. Somehow, we gained over 20 members in the fall, and we’ve added even more since then. We’ve held amazing events, such as our “Get Organized” Event GLK. We’ve created social media and editing teams.
All our hard work paid off when we were recognized as a Platinum Level chapter. We had done that. A tiny chapter in the middle of nowhere New York. I’m pretty sure I screamed when I found out. Even if we hadn’t gotten the recognition, I was still so proud of where we were. We had grown so much. I had grown so much.
I’ve learned so much about myself from these four years with HC at Geneseo. I’ve become a better writer and editor. While I had always been a writer, I finally began to find my niche. I was able to put my thoughts and words out into the world without judgement. I had so much freedom to write about anything I wanted, from silly topics like ranking Disney princes and One Direction songs to serious ones like sexual assault and Black authors I like.
I love that Her Campus has given a voice to college students hoping to gain experience in journalism. I also love that it’s geared toward woman-aligned individuals. It’s not a traditional media outlet or college newspaper; it’s inclusive. There’s content that anyone could like and read. You can find any kind of article from our chapter, and every single one of them is truly a well-written article.
I’ve done things I never thought I could do. I truly didn’t think I had what it took to lead the chapter on my own. I’m thankful I had amazing chapter members to lean on and deal with my craziness when I had one idea after the next. I’ve made so many amazing connections with wonderful people who I hope to stay in touch with in the future. This year, Her Campus at Geneseo finally felt like more than just a club—it became a safe space for anyone to come to.
I know that HC at Geneseo is in amazing hands. To Madison and Nina—our new CCs—I couldn’t be prouder of you both for taking this on. I know it seemed like a lot, but I have full faith in both of you. To the rest of the e-board—I know that you’ll help shape our chapter into something even greater. To the chapter—keep up the amazing work and stay involved! Her Campus at Geneseo is truly an amazing organization.
This has been the hardest goodbye I’ve had to write so far. I have full-on tears and snot running down my face. But I want to end this on a high note. I’ll always be around for any HC at Geneseo who needs me. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the chapter and everyone in it.
Thank you, HC at Geneseo for these incredible years.
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HCXO
Rebecca Williamson
Former CC