I was always told that University was the place where people made lifelong friends, but as a first year student, I couldn’t help but wonder, where are these friends of mine? I tried engaging with the people to my left and right before the start of a lecture and waving hello to my residence neighbours, but even as a bubbly person, it was difficult to form meaningful connections.
That’s when I overheard a girl down the hall from me mention Her Campus.
The next week I had officially joined the club. Thanks to that happy coincidence, I found a place where I did form friendships for life and got to develop my creative skill set and build my résumé while doing it.
As confident as I am that you will all take my advice to heart and eagerly join our HC girl gang, it’s sometimes more effective to hear from past HC members about how this club has positively impacted them.
1. Elizabeth Shepherd
MPH Candidate
Deanery of Molecular, Genetic and Population Health Sciences at the University of Edinburgh
Campus Correspondent of Her Campus UVic from 2014-2015
“Besides great company, HC provided me the opportunity to gain tangible skills in communication, social marketing, and writing. With the experiences and skills I acquired, I gained the confidence to pursue my dream co-op in public engagement and later, graduate school in Scotland.”
2. Jessica Jacobson
JD Student of Entertainment Law at UBC
Campus Correspondent of Her Campus UVic from 2018-2019
“I loved so many things about my experience at Her Campus, I couldn’t possibly pick one! HC presented me with numerous learning and leadership opportunities, as well as a sense of community and belonging.
While on the team, I was able to explore my interests through the articles that I authored. For example, I wrote on sexism in sports and entertainment and studied the B.C. Residential Tenancy Act so that I could use my platform to educate students about their rights as tenants. I mentioned this in my law school applications and am now about to start my first year of law school where I plan to pursue a career in entertainment law!
Not only did Her Campus give me the experience necessary to reach my goals, but it also made my undergraduate experience way more fun! Being a part of the Editorial and Executive Teams meant having a group of people that were always there for me—whether I needed feedback on an article, help with homework, or someone to have a life chat with! I always looked forward to meetings and socials because it was basically an excuse to hang out with and meet really cool people!”
3. Molly Feanny
Information Technology student at Gallaudet University
Writer of Her Campus UVic from 2016-2018
Her Campus Chapter Advisor from 2018-2019
“Before I joined HerCampus, I was in my third year at UVic when I decided that I wanted to be more assertive and be more involved in the Uvic community (and also I got sick of sitting around in my dorm room and studying all the time at that point).
I first saw the HC team with their table at our university’s Clubs Day and, I admit. I was captivated by how friendly and welcoming everyone was (and by the cheerful, pink table). As someone who is deaf and mainly uses written English and American Sign Language, I was nervous about how communicating with the other members would go. But the other members were so lovely and put in so much effort that I was inspired to step out of my comfort zone and write for HerCampus. I got a lot of positive feedback about my articles and I am now inspired to write more, both for fun and also to add to my career experience. Who knows? Maybe I’ll work for Vogue one day!
Now after graduating from UVic, I have lifelong friendships and important experiences that will help my résumé. I was so inspired that I even continued working with HC as a Chapter Advisor and a High School Ambassador Program Advisor last year. Taking such a respected position allowed me to learn new leadership skills and brought about lots more learning experiences.
Now I’m returning to school in Washington, DC and I can say that HC gave me the confidence to go abroad and pursue my career goals in education. I am inspired to continue to support women (both deaf/hard of hearing and hearing alike) towards their goals too, just as HC did for me. I didn’t regret joining HerCampus and you won’t either!”