You’ve read, liked, shared and even retweeted our articles. Now, it’s time to learn a little bit more about the writers behind them. Get ready to meet the 2015 Her Campus Illinois State team!
Celina Porretta – Editor-in-Chief
Say hello to one of the busiest girls you’ll ever meet! Celina is a senior Broadcast Journalism major and Political Science minor. When she isn’t working with Her Campus as a Campus Correspondent and Chapter Advisor you can find her practically living in the basement of Fell Hall at TV-10 News. This semester she’s producing and anchoring newscasts, along with being a fulltime student and member of the Delta Zeta sorority. When she isn’t busy you can find her either downtown with her friends OR cuddled up in bed, watching Netflix, and drinking a large Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. Even though this is her last semester as Editor-in-Chief, Celina is extremely grateful for all the opprotunities that Her Campus has given her. The busy life doesn’t end once school does for this girl because this summer she’ll be an intern for the Illinois Broadcasters Association and a major television station in Chicago. She might have a long list of plans but as for now, she’s enjoying what she has left of college and is really looking forward to what her future holds (hopefully that involves dating Drake).
Grace Masching – Vice President
Grace is a senior Marketing major who is ISU Obsessed. She enjoys posing for her fashion Instagram account, drinking coffee, watching Netflix, over scheduling herself and/or watching trashy reality TV. E! News is basically her bible and celebrity gossip is her favorite topic to discus. Writing was something she never knew she was good at until she started writing for Her Campus but today writing is something she is very passionate about. From a town of 4,000, she is the perfect example of a small town girl with big city dreams. Someday she hopes to work as a buyer and then eventually open her own boutique.
Raquel Ugalde – Managing Editor
Raquel is starting her second semester as a junior at Illinois State University. As one of the managing editors, she is also majoring in Public Relations, and currently the head of the public relations for the social sorority Phi Sigma Sigma. Raquel loves making the perfect bag of popcorn, sharing anything with her friends (her food, her drinks, her homework, etc.), knowing an obnoxious amount about actors and movies, starting a series on Netflix and never finishing them, and saying hi to people she may or may not know. Her dreams include working for any Chicago sports team (hopefully the Chicago Blackhawks), owning three dogs, and writing her own book. She plans on writing for Her Campus until she graduates, and hopefully can stay involved with writers once she becomes a Redbird alumni.
Amber Allison – Managing Editor
Amber Allison is a soon to be junior at Illinois State University. She is an Elementary Education major and a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority. She has been on the Her Campus ISU team for a semester. When Amber isn’t enjoying her time down in BloNo, she returns to her home in the suburbs to do suburban girl things (drink starbucks, wear uggs, and text on her iPhone). During her free time, you can find her blogging and drinking too much coffee for her own good. She is obsessed with watching documentaries on Netflix, though you can also catch her watching Orange is the New Black. Amber is excited to be writing for Her Campus and can’t wait to see where this year takes her.
Hannah Dytrych – Social Media Manager
Hannah Dytrych is a junior, majoring in Broadcasting Journalism and Spanish. She has been a part of the Her Campus team for 2 years now as a contributing writer and the Social Media Manager. She is also a member of Delta Zeta, a DeeJay on WZND and a reporter for TV-10. Her dream is to move to California right after college and becoming an entertainment journalist. You can find her working at PacSun, studying celebrities, eating sushi, hanging with her friends, watching Seth Rogen movies and drinking smoothies. She loves being a part of HerCampus because it gives her a chance to work on her writing and be involved in a team.
Alyssa Ortiz – Event Coordinator
Alyssa Ortiz is a junior Broadcast Journalism major who will most likely be taking a victory lap. Besides writing for Her Campus, she is also a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority where she serves as the social media and apparel chairwoman. The most exciting task she just recently took on in her sorority is being one of the dance coaches for Chi Omega’s March Madness philanthropy event. Alyssa spends most of her free time taking naps, but when she’s not, she’s thinking of the next time she can. Since her favorite TV show of all time, Desperate Housewives, was recently taken off of Netflix, she no longer has a hobby and cancelled her account (or at least she should). This fast food junkie is all about quantity not quality, making the dollar cravings section at Taco Bell her best friend. Alyssa peaked in elementary school when she was a child model and had two stories published in children’s books, but she hopes to eventually redeem herself after graduation by moving to the city and fulfilling her dream of becoming a news anchor. She hopes by then she will have more hobbies besides giving long feminist rants and pinning recipes on Pinterest that she’ll never make.
Danielle Farrow – Photographer
Writer and photographer Danielle Farrow enjoys romantic comedies and long walks on the beach… HA just kidding. Her first language is sarcasm, second is English. When she isn’t writing blogs on current trends or giving us a good laugh with her creative articles she is usually in her bed watching endless movies with chocolate ice cream in hand. Danielle joined the Her Campus team last February for a chance to exercise her major in interpersonal communications and for a place to share her thoughts and interests. Danielle is very involved here at ISU, not only is she a part of HerCampus she is also a member of Gamma Phi Beta where she formerly held the position as social chair. You can usually find her at Panera; bread bowls are a girl’s best friend. Her favorite part about Her Campus Illinois State is all the doors it has and will continue to open for her!
Alex Warren
Alex Warren is currently a sophomore Marketing major at Illinois State and a member of Epsilon Sigma Alpha. On the off chance that she isn’t having a Pirates of the Caribbean or Harry Potter marathon, you’ll probably find her updating her Twitter and obsessing over the latest pop sensations. She is in love with her dog, Sparky, and would never let him leave her side if it could happen. Her dream guy is someone who will give her his Netflix password and buy her food. She has always had a passion for writing and was ecstatic to have the opportunity to write for Her Campus this year. She hopes to travel the world as soon as she can, spend as much time with her friends and family as possible until then, and change the world one life at a time.
Alyssa Damato
Alyssa Damato is a freshman at Illinois State and is a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority. She sometimes gets mistaken for an old lady because of her obsession with The Beatles and pretty much every movie and song made way before her time. Alyssa is double majoring in Communications and Theatre Studies. Her favorite pick up line is “you’re a swipe right” (if you don’t understand that reference are you even in college?). In her free time, Alyssa likes to lay in bed and watch shows on Netflix that she’s already seen a million times such as One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl, and Desperate Housewives. You can catch her in Chipotle, in her room in Hewett knitting scarves, at the library not studying, or at Einstein’s crying because she’s out of flex dollars. Because of Alyssa’s height which comes in at a whopping five feet tall, her head often gets mistaken for an arm rest. Alyssa is obsessed with her dog named Abercrombie the puppy, Downtown Chicago, and Nathan Scott (Do you even OTH?). She hopes to work in the city someday as a big time event planner. Hit her up on myspace.
Cassie Zimmer
Currently in her junior year, Cassandra is still trying to wrap her head around the fact that her college career is half way over (WAH!). However, she still believes the best is yet to come. She loves the world of fashion and wants to learn every facet of the industry, hoping to one day work in the Fashion PR world and represent a major brand or designer. Writing has been a new found love in her college career and thought that writing for Her Campus couldn’t sound anymore up her alley. Since then she has blogged for The Vidette and just accepted an internship to be a Style Guru for CollegeFashionista. On an average day she loves burying herself in magazines (hoarding every single one that has crossed her path), catching up with some course work at Fusion Brew, and watching (re-watching) all of the Gossip Girl seasons. She has self-diagnosed herself with a small-town heart and a big city mindset. Strawberry pop-tarts are her go-to and she could easily finish a gallon of milk in a day. If given the opportunity, she could eat sushi every single day for the rest of her life. She hopes to travel while in college (Paris and Florence being at the top of the list). And lastly, she loves Her Campus and cannot wait to see where the rest of the year takes her!
Cheyenne Clayton
Writer Cheyenne Clayton is a junior, majoring in Family Consumer Sciences…for now. She is from the small town of Sullivan, Go Redskins! Along with being a new writer for Her Campus she is also a member of the sorority Delta Delta Delta here at ISU. Cheyenne’s dream job would be to open her own clothing boutique. She is obsessed country music, her favorite artists being Chase Rice and Florida Georgia Line. Some of her favorite things include online shopping, the TV show Friday Night Lights, Diet Coke, and the color maroon. The most important thing in the world to Cheyenne is her family and friends. Her favorite thing about being a Her Campus writer is that each girl writes about what they are interested in and puts their own personality into the articles.
Chloe Kasper
Chloe Kasper is a freshman at Illinois State University majoring in Public Relations and minoring in Latin American and Latina/o Studies. She sings everywhere she goes and dances to only a beat that she can hear. Raised in the south suburbs of Chicago, Chloe’s heart resides in the city (where her family and close friends are) but is always willing to explore a new place which is what drew her to ISU’s campus. Chloe is very motivated and dedicated in her academics and as a member of ISU’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America, Chloe already has her eyes on the prize by starting her involvement with her career goals early in her college years. In her free time, Chloe practices yoga and constantly redecorates for new inspiration. Chloe is an avid reader of books, blogs, and magazines (her Teen Vogue collection spans over 7 years) which are what sparked her interest in writing along with the infamous Carrie Bradshaw. Chloe loves all things social media, sharing everything from intriguing articles on Facebook to creating Pinterest boards dedicated solely to Disney. Chloe is a huge fan of Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, the kind of fan that choreographs her own dances to Beyoncé’s songs and has been around since the Teardrops on my Guitar country years for Taylor Swift. She absolutely loves rom-coms, all things chocolate, and the true way to her heart involves anything with sparkles. When feeling stressed, Chloe swears by coloring and painting her nails as the solutions to all things that worry her as well as long, drawn out phone calls with her best friends. Chloe is so happy to be a part of ISU’s Her Campus team and cannot wait to see where this part of her college journey takes her!
Colleen Besler
Colleen is a senior Organizational Leadership Communication major. Besides being an involved student and a member of the sorority Gamma Phi Beta, she also takes on the role of a professional dancer, singer, actress, and talker. Colleen has always had a passion for writing and entertainment where she hopes to find a career in television. After graduation she plans on moving to any big city, (preferably Los Angeles) so she will no longer have to claim the name of a “townie” everywhere she goes. Colleen’s favorite activities include laughing, eating McDonalds, and listening to the latest Niki Minaj songs. Colleen rang in the New Year volunteering in Costa Rica helping a community, which has inspired her to travel and volunteer more often. Colleen is one of the most excitable people you’ll ever meet and will probably tell you she loves you five times before you’re done talking. Her family inspires her every day to be the best person she can be and to care for others.
Gaby Kaplan
Gaby Kaplan is going into her second semester of Junior year, majoring in Interpersonal Communications here at ISU, and is also a member of Gamma Phi Beta. When she isn’t watching Netflix you can find Gaby working at Flat Top or online shopping for hours! This outspoken, bubbly girl will always be the first one to tell you if something is on her mind, she rarely has a filter! After graduation she hopes to move to Chicago to pursue a career in Public Relations. Her Campus has given her the opportunity to be outspoken along with meeting a group of amazing girls!
Grace O’Brien
Grace O’Brien is a junior Public Relations major here at Illinois State University with a minor in Writing and is a new member of the Phi Sigma Sigma sorority. She has loved writing since she was little and used to make “books” on the kitchen floor with her childhood best friend. Besides her love of writing, Grace has been a competitive equestrian since the age of ten and brought her horse to school her freshman year to participate in the ISU Equestrian Team. She is currently taking time off of competitive riding to further pursue her studies. Grace also has a passion for running and has ran the Bank of America Chicago Marathon two times. Grace joined the HerCampus ISU team to sharpen her writing skills and be around girls who love to express themselves as much as she does!
Hannah Carnes
Hannah Carnes is a sophomore majoring in cheesy jokes and never growing up. If she had a dime for every time she cracked a silly line, she would definitely not be in college. You would probably find her on a yacht…actually not on a yacht because she has severe motion sickness…but its guaranteed Hannah would be somewhere very ritzy and full of fanciness. When she isn’t being the queen of all things humorous, you can find her completely stressed out up until the wee hours of the morning finishing art projects (since she is actually double majoring in graphic design and sculpture), eating an ungodly amount of sweets, or frantically making to-do lists for things that will probably never get done. Hannah’s entire diet consists of cupcakes due to her job working as a cake decorator at Sugar Mama Bakery in Uptown Normal and Downtown Bloomington. Her dream is to take time next year to study abroad, and after graduation, end up in a big city where she can find a big hat, a nice park bench, and feed some pigeons.
Hayden Bayles
Hayden Bayles just recently joined the Her Campus team. He is currently a Marketing major with a minor in Financial Planning. He has always had an interest in writing and couldn’t think of a better auience to speak to. He enjoys talking with women and listening to their often contrasting views. When he isn’t planted in front of the TV watching ESPN, you can find him reading articles, furthering his career, or throwing a few back with his buddies.
Katy Winge
Katy Winge is a double major hailing from Eden Prairie, Minnesota aka the land of 10,000 lakes, you betchas, and a whole lot of snow. She is a senior pursuing degrees in both Broadcast Journalism and Marketing. She hopes to become a sports broadcaster or sideline reporter for a major network in the future. Katy devotes majority of her time at Illinois State to running up and down Doug Collins Court in Redbird Arena as a member of the women’s basketball team. In between throwing balls at a hoop hoping they go in, she has enjoyed working for TV-10 News and writing for Her Campus. Katy serves on the executive committee for the Student Athlete Advisory Council that is heavily involved in planning and executing the student-athlete talent show that takes place in April. She is also an active member of Zeta Tau Alpha sorority, spending the past two years as the Historian for her chapter. With all that going on, there is rarely a moment to breathe in her schedule. But on the rare occasion something opens up and she has some free time, she enjoys spending it with her friends and family, eating, and pretending to spend money she doesn’t have on clothes she can’t afford. She is planning to study abroad next Fall as a fifth semester senior- an attempt to put off the grown-up, real world as long as possible.
Mia Volpe
Mia Volpe is a sophomore at Illinois State and is a Public Relations major. Mia is also a member of the Phi Sigma Sigma sorority and Dance Association on campus. When Mia is not in class, you can find her obsessively streaming her favorite movies on Netflix, rooting for the Blackhawks on TV or having dance parties to Sam Smith’s music in her bedroom. Her favorite foods are her dad’s homemade pasta, Chinese and shamefully, McDonalds French fries. Mia’s dream job is to be a late night talk show host but hopes to work for a Public Relations agency in her favorite city, Chicago. If she could go anywhere in the world she would travel to Italy with both of her grandmas. In her spare time, she also writes for a blog website called Sorority Stylista about fashion and her sorority. Mia’s family, friends, sisters and dog, Gigi are the most influential and supportive people in her life. Her favorite things about Her Campus is being able to share her writing with students at ISU and working with all of the talented members on the team!
Michelle Mikliszanski
Writer Michelle Mikliszanski is a soon to be sophomore at ISU. She is majoring in integrated marketing communications with a minor in business administration. In her free time she enjoys photography, photoshop editing, playing acoustic guitar and of course gaming. A big part of her dorky personality is her well based facts on Pokemon, super smash brothers and quoting episodes of family guy. You can basically call her the secret nerd. The hardest part of being in college for her is being home sick. Not necessarily for her own bed but for Portillos, because home is where the Portillos is. In her free time you can catch her watching beauty videos on youtube or jamming out to alternative music. She’s super happy to be a part of Her Campus for Illinois State and can’t wait to see what other amazing things they accomplish.
Rebecca Davis
Rebecca Davis is a sophomore journalism major that enjoys drinking obscene amounts of diet coke, vegetarian lasagna from Watterson dining, and looking up pictures of baby animals in the library when she is supposed to be doing her homework. She spends most of her summers going to concerts and eating Taco Bell exclusively. This is her second year writing for HerCampus, and hopes to one day write for a music magazine.
Sidney Holman
Writer Sidney Holman is a freshman at Illinois State University and is majoring in Apparel Merchandising. She is a member of the Delta Zeta sorority and AMDA. In her free time, she is online shopping, watching E!, or with her sorority sisters. Sidney is also a proud gold member at Starbucks and is obsessed with their banana bread and iced coffee. Her dream job is to be a buyer in the fashion industry so she can travel the world and shop at the same time. Her favorite thing about HerCampus is that she gets to be creative and write about things that interest her.
Stephanie Pouse
Being a member since the Spring of 2013, Stephanie Pouse, or more recently referenced as Ms. Pouse, just left us to teach English at the secondary level in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago. She’s been a part of our partnered Editorial Management team. Growing up in the suburb of Hanover Park, Stephanie recently made a move slightly west to St. Charles, Illinois; although, we don’t think it’s west enough. We’re convinced that Stephanie’s wanderlust will get the best of her post graduation and send her west one more time, this time to the state of Colorado. This adventure-seeking individual loves everything that keeps her moving— snowboarding, hiking, boating, and more! You see why we’re convinced that the landscape of Illinois won’t keep her here much longer? Even though she craves the adrenaline of exciting activity, the typical collegiate acts of binge watching Netflix, eating entire bags of dark chocolate, and online shopping only to realize you can’t really afford the 22 things you quickly accumulated in your shopping cart, are also things you’ll find Stephanie doing. Although she is no longer on our campus, you’ll be sure to find her uptown or downtown when she visits, and cheeseballs are always an acceptable welcome back gift.
Whitney Scasny
Whitney is a junior Public Relations major at ISU who enjoys fashion, writing, and traveling. She is a beach bum at heart and is obsessed with anything ocean related. When she’s not stalking famous surfers (aka potential future husbands) on Instagram she can be found spending her rent money online shopping. Whitney loves HerCampus because she gets to pursue her love for writing and write about relatable topics for her peers to read. She is a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority and also contributes articles as a Style Guru to CollegeFashionista.com. A fact not many people know about Whitney is that she was once a Character Performer for Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. After graduating, she plans on heading back to Florida to live in Fantasyland once again before stepping out into the real world. She hopes to eventually pursue a fabulous office job at a successful PR firm or write for a fashion magazine (she’s also a big dreamer).