One of Her Campus Mount Holyoke’s co-Campus Correspondents, Deborah Fasholé-Luke, recently sat down with us to discuss writing, Her Campus highs and lows, and her goals for the future.
When did you first realize that you loved writing?
I first realized I loved writing as a young, angsty teenager. I used to write poetry, which, when I look back at my writing, was actually pretty immature and naïve. I’ve kind of honed my writing skills since then. In high school, for my A-Levels, I took two English courses, and that’s when I really figured out that I love to write. I’ve always enjoyed reading, so it was kind of a natural progression for me. I wanted to make stories come alive in the same way that I’ve seen authors do.
What do you like to write?
I like to write short stories. I sometimes have a short amount of time to do leisure reading, so short stories, which are usually pretty concise, are great to read and write. They’re also very interesting to write since they are usually concise; they need to really be planned out for the writing to have a story that is wholesome and that works. With a shorter span to tell the story, everything you include has to add to the story in some way to inform you about the characters or the situation. I just think that short stories require a lot more planning and concision than novels. I see short stories kind of like pieces of music. I usually end up writing more serious pieces, with a touch of humor. I have a very awesome sense of humor. Some people might not find me funny, but I’m hilarious, and I try to make that come out in my writing.
Why did you want to get involved with Her Campus?
I wanted to have more opportunities to write and edit so I didn’t give up writing completely as I was beginning to focus on taking classes for my major. I also wanted to gain more experience working with a well-established national magazine and running an student organization. I also love Mount Holyoke, so I wanted to be able to express that love, and to connect with the community more by getting to know what people are doing on campus through Campus Profiles and I also wanted to write about things that were relevant to people on this campus. Plus, I enjoyed reading Her Campus articles, so when the opportunity arose to join the Her Campus team and become co-Editor-in-Chief, I knew I had to take it.
What’s your favorite part about Her Campus?
My favorite part about Her Campus is definitely the people. Our staff is brilliant and we have such good writers! Hearing their ideas and seeing their passion come to life through in their writing is really wonderful and exciting. I also love getting products from HQ and trying out new sample items I may not necessarily have tried otherwise.
What’s the hardest part about being a Campus Correspondent?
I guess getting more coverage of Her Campus. Not only getting people to read our articles, but getting people to join our (amazing) team. I think because it’s a national magazine, people shy away from applying to join us because they’re afraid they might not be able to handle it- but we’re super awesome, it’s a great opportunity to get writing and/or leadership experience, and it’s a great way to be more connected to life and events on campus.
What interests you about your major in Psychology?
Since I’m at the beginning of my sophomore year, I’m currently very early on in exploring exactly what I want to do in terms of my major, but I know that I’m interested in research. However, I’d also like to be connected to people, I’d like to help people. If I were to be in a career that solely focused on research with no real connection to or influence on people’s life experiences, I know I wouldn’t quite be happy or fulfilled; what I end up doing or researching must really be grounded in helping people or solving issues that affect people for me to be content. In terms of a focus, I’ve taken a few social psych courses and I quite enjoy those, but as of now I’m not yet certain of a concentration.
Do you consider yourself a science person? How does that play out with your love of writing? Do you want to connect those two in the future?
Yes, I consider myself a scientist. I don’t think that writing and science are mutually exclusive, but I do think my interests are kind of split. I am very into science, for example I really love biology and psychology, but I’m also into the humanities. Obviously, I love writing, and I’m also interested in sociology. It would be great if I could find a way to connect psychology and writing, but I know that if I had to choose my science focus would likely overpower my love of fictional writing. Writing is more of a hobby for me, so I don’t really see myself pursuing it professionally. I’m always going write, of course, whether anyone gets to read it or not is the question.
Any last words?
I want to encourage everyone to apply for Her Campus because it’s a really great opportunity and we’re a group of welcoming and dedicated people. You get the chance to have your voice heard, connect with people on campus, and talk about what’s important to you and what Mount Holyoke means to you.
If you see Deborah around on campus, stop her and say hi. She’s willing to talk to anyone about her love for Her Campus Mt Holyoke!