Last summer, my best friend Jordyn told me that another friend of hers had told her about an online magazine written by students, for students, and she wanted to start a chapter here at Murray State. Soon after, she texted me a link to a petition for me to sign, which I, of course, sent to about 20 other people. We got the signatures, National approved, and on September 26, the Murray State chapter of Her Campus was launched. Since then we’ve grown to have almost 30 members from all walks of life, developed our following, and told our stories. So, what has Her Campus taught me?
First of all, it taught me you can do anything when a Virgo is in charge. I may be a little biased, but in my humble opinion, Jordyn is 100% the woman for the job. Every week she has strived to make us into the best chapter we can possibly be. And she’s been a success. We are now officially a Platinum level chapter, (only one rung below the highest, Pink, but we’re on our way!) and we could not have gotten there without the leadership Jordyn has provided.
Working with all sorts of different people has taught me everyone has a story. That has always been one reason I love HC: It gives us a voice. That voice can be strong, it can be lighthearted, it can be serious, and it can be trivial. Whatever it is, it’s made up of all of us, saying what we feel needs to be said and putting it out there for the world to see. Recipes, how-to’s, news articles, hobbies, advice, it all has a place here, for us, and by us. That’s wonderful.
Finally, and this is just a little bit of PR here: it’s a great way to feel actively engaged at Murray State. Not only have I met some of my closest friends through HC, but I’ve gained practical, real-world experience. I became the Event Coordinator for our chapter in January of 2018, and since then, I’ve had to plan tabling events, team-bonding events and celebrations, and everything in-between. My writing has improved, my leadership skills have improved, and every time I tell someone to check out an article that came out in the past week, there is legitimate pride in my voice. I’m proud of our team and what we’ve done over this past year, and I know that we can continue for years to come, even far after all the current members have graduated.