Recap: In Her Shoes 2016

With the semester quickly coming to an end, the Her Campus team at South Carolina thought the perfect way to get all of our Carolina collegiettes ready for their summer internships was to host an afternoon advice column with local #Girlbosses. If you didn’t get a chance to attend this awesome event, here’s the low-down on everything you missed.

Senior Editors Sophia Krysa (left) and Hayley Schmitt handing out gift bags at the door.

Our first speaker, Lauren Truslow, is an alumna of the University of South Carolina. After graduation she went into pharmaceutical sales, but her heart and passion always lied in the fitness world. Huge leaps of faith lead Lauren to open her own Barre3 location right here in Columbia. This is some of the advice we received from Lauren on opening a business and having the confidence to kick ass!

1. When asked if she thought fitness and success were linked, Lauren said that she believed success isn’t necessarily related to fitness, but it rather linked to discovering what you love to do and incorporating that in your career.

2. Confidence is key. In fact, showing up to an interview without it could prevent you from landing your dream job.

3. You won’t always know if you’re making the right decisions, but one day you will see all your work come together and you’ll be reminded you can do anything you put your mind to.

Our second speaker, Megan Plassmeyer, is the Online Communications and Advocacy team member for Tell Them, an organization that helps get women involved with South Carolina politics. Tell Them informs women of bills in the SC legislature that pertain to us, and how we need to be active to encourage the decisions that are made. As the youngest speaker, Megan reminded us that age and experience doesn’t necessarily give you an edge over someone else.

“Go Into an interview and say ‘I know I’m young.’ Never use age as your downfall.” -Megan Plassmeyer, advocacy member at Tell Them.

1.   Megan reminded us that although we are young and just beginning our professional careers, we have more power than we think. “I love talking to people, specifically women like you, because you are the women who can change things.”

2.   One of our favorite quotes from Megan was to “never use your age as a downfall.” As undergraduate students, it is hard for us to remember our worth because we think we have too little experience. Megan reminded us that age can be a powerful tool.

3.   Women are so vital to our future. We should stop competing with one another to break the glass ceiling, and instead, work together to build one another up. There’s room for all of us girl bosses out there!

HCSC Event Director Lexi Hill (right) with Doreen Sullivan of Post No Bills.

Our third and last speaker, Doreen Sullivan owns the multi-platform advertising agency Post No Bills. Doreen’s big personality and ability to bring out our audience’s fears, goals and passions was a great way to wrap up our first annual In Her Shoes event! Here are some takeaways from her speech that will have you ready to conquer America!

1.   “Everybody has a way they see the world.” This quote was essentially the foundation of Doreen’s message to all of us. She challenged us to think about how we perceive the world and to incorporate that into our career. If you are always trying to help people and understand their story, then maybe the most worthwhile career path for you is helping people. Now all you have to figure out is the direction you want to go in. Haha, that’s easier said than done, though, am I right?

2.   The second lesson was to always go above and beyond what you are asked to do. Meeting the bare minimal of what is asked is normal, expected. In order to stand out and truly excel in your career, Doreen told us that that means taking the extra step. Good news for us girls out there, because that seems to be one of our innate traits!

3.   We were also reminded that we are all talented. The next step is finding what you are passionate about and combining the two.

4.   Lastly, Doreen urged us to have no fear. “I have no fear, you have to just jump in and do it! I am the queen of no fear!” If that isn’t enough motivation for you, Doreen left us with another great mantra to help you keep moving forward even when times are tough, “Everything you learn will get you to your next step.”

“I always go above and beyond what I’m asked for. I think that’s a really strong feminine trait.” -Doreen Sullivan, president of Post No Bills.

Here’s what some of our staff members had to say about the event:

“My favorite part was learning that we each are uniquely great because we each look at the world through the eyes of what we’re passionate about. Once we are aware of that, we can move forward in life knowing what to go after and we’ll not only be successful, but we’ll be happy!” Katie Ann Kinslow, Writer

“I really enjoyed seeing how three completely different women all got to where they are now with pretty similar values such as taking pride in yourself, being confident, going after what you want. It was awesome to see ordinary women accomplishing extraordinary things!” Mary Elizabeth Bagnal, Writer

“It was really inspirational to hear the stories of such successful women! I really enjoyed hearing each person talk about the big leap of faith that led them to their current career. It inspired me to take risks in going after what I want, and to be confident that everything will work out in the end.” Cassie Sobers, Writer and PR

“All of the speakers were so strong and inspiring, but my favorite part was when Doreen Sullivan talked about how we each see the world through different lenses, depending on what we’re passionate about. ‘No opportunity that was meant for you will pass you by,’ was also something she said that hit home for me, being months away from graduation!” Kristina Zagame, Campus Correspondent and Writer

“It was very inspiring to hear the speakers talk about their impact in their relative career fields and how we can also make an impact in our future careers. I especially loved hearing from Doreen Sullivan. Her message about not letting others put down your dreams and goals really hit home for me.” Hayley Schmitt, Senior Editor and Writer

Well, there you have it! It’s almost like you were there, even if you weren’t. Bummed you missed our first In Her Shoes event? Don’t worry, we’re already planning our next one! In the meantime, don’t forget to catch our other articles and follow us on all our social media handles: @HCSouthCarolina