Kadyn Chamorro (COM ‘18), if you don’t already know her, she is Her Campus BU’s campus correspondent. She is also my “big sister” in the chapter and has really made me feel welcome as a freshman writer. Some of her friends describe her as “the human form of candy” and “like a golden retriever puppy.” She helps lead this organization, but who is she really?
As soon as I mentioned wanting to write a profile on her, her eyes lit up. She told me that if that was something I was interested in writing, she would of course be willing to help. Kadyn obviously really wants to always help everyone in Her Campus accomplish great things and feel empowered as college women. I recently got the chance to sit down with Kadyn once again and ask her a couple questions to figure out who she really is as a person and a leader.
Where are you from? How did you grow up?
Kadyn: I am from California, specifically Los Angeles. How did I grow up? Well, to say it nicely, my parents are kind of crazy hippies in the best way possible. I love them – they’re great – but I had a lot of weird experiences growing up. For example, my mom is a consultant for a wolf sanctuary, so I got to be around wolves. One time one bit my hair. I just had weird, cliché California experiences, like my school was right by the beach so I was on the sailing team. I also wasn’t allowed to have social media, which was a weird thing.
Why did you decide to come to BU?
Kadyn: It was actually an impulsive decision, to be honest. I applied to a lot of liberal arts schools because I came from a high school that was liberal arts. During my senior year, I realized that I did not want to be in a class of sixty people anymore. I wanted to leave my little Santa Monica bubble and go experience something different.
What are some of your favorite books, movies, TV shows?
Kadyn: Anything Joan Didion. I am obsessed with Joan Didion! I talk about her all the time. I want to be Joan Didion minus the shyness. I just think she’s really cool and I’m also obsessed with nonfiction and she’s the queen of literary journalism.
I also like screwball comedies, so His Girl Friday is the best movie of all time because the people talk as fast as I do and that makes me really happy. I love Gilmore Girls, Friends, and Psych. I like a lot of things – I love comedies. I like to smile, it’s nice to smile.
When and why did you join Her Campus BU?
Kadyn: I joined at the end of my freshman year. And I joined Her Campus because I was looking to find a magazine on campus that I wanted to write for and be able to pitch my own article ideas, which is something I still really appreciate about Her Campus today.
But I also was a little terrified my freshman year. I felt very out of place. BU is such a big school and that was not something I grew up with. So, I was trying to find a smaller community within the giant BU community. When I joined Her Campus, everyone was so welcoming, kind, willing to laugh at my bad jokes, and wanted talk about things that I cared about and issues that we, as college women, face on a daily basis. I just found it so empowering to be around so many strong women who cared about writing and journalism as much as I do.
How and why did you get so involved in Her Campus?
Kadyn: I think Her Campus has so many great things to offer. I love that it’s a national magazine, so if you’re published with us, you’re published on a national level. I love that there’s so much freedom in what you write about. But honestly, the reason I stayed so long and got so involved is the people. I think the people involved are just great; I love being around them.
I also love that Her Campus attracts people who really just care about empowering the women around them. I like feeling empowered. I like being able to be an empowering influence on other women. So, that’s why I’m here. That’s why I stayed.
Why did you decide to become a campus correspondent?
Kadyn: The people on E-Board, especially during my sophomore year, made a big impact on me. They seemed like they had a lot of ideas that they wanted to make happen, and I found that very inspiring. Since they inspired me, I wanted to be a positive influence on other members as well. I just had/have a lot of ideas, and Her Campus gives you the opportunity to make your ideas into realities.
What does being CC entail?
Kadyn: Essentially, crisis management. There can be a lot of fires, and our job is to put out those fires and make sure that more fires don’t start. There’s a lot of technical stuff too – like we’re in charge of publishing, so we top edit all the content. We’re in conversation with nationals all the time. We handle the PR emails we get too, manage several teams, ughh enforce deadlines, find businesses to partner with, and I guess the big one is figure out ways to increase site traffic. You’re involved in a little bit- or honestly most of the time a lot- of everything.
How has your Her Campus experience shaped your college career?
Kadyn: My college career is Her Campus. It’s my main thing. Some of my closest friends are in Her Campus. The things that I’m most proud of accomplishing have been with Her Campus. I look forward to our events, our meetings, and talking to members. It’s just fun! It makes me feel fulfilled. Some of the best moments of my college career have been because of Her Campus, so I’m really grateful to be a part of this organization.
How has Her Campus impacted your major?
Kadyn: I knew I wanted to be a journalist and thought I wanted to write for magazines, but now I know, without a doubt, I want to write for magazines. With Her Campus, I get to do magazine journalism on a daily basis. Since that’s the area of journalism that I’m in, I feel like without it, I wouldn’t have been as prepared as I feel about the magazine journalism world. It has helped me develop my love and excitement for magazines and magazine journalism.
What do you want to do in the future?
Kadyn: The pretentious answer is write for The New Yorker. I really like the genre of creative nonfiction. But I just want to write long-form journalism. The longer, the better. I like to talk, and it’s nice to go deep into things, ask questions, and get to know people.
How do you stay positive and smiling all the time?
Kadyn: There has definitely been a time in my life where I was not as happy as I am now. In high school, I was more serious and took myself too seriously. In college, I feel like I’ve become a lot happier. I think that’s because A) I have really accepted who I am as a person and B) I don’t really have time to be sad anymore. I’m pretty busy, so during all my free time, I try not to let the hard things get me down.
You have to take care of yourself too. If you don’t take care of yourself, it’s harder to feel fulfilled. Do things that you care about. I really care about Her Campus and it makes me feel happy. Have goals. Have ambitions. Have things that you can work towards, because when you focus on that, it makes everything less overwhelming because you know you’re working towards something bigger. Don’t let the little things bog you down.
Judging from the interview, Kadyn is definitely one of Her Campus’ biggest fans. She is so passionate about magazines, journalism, and empowering women, which explains why she is our campus correspondent. I can tell Kadyn is going to make a huge impact on the world – she has already inspired me to become a journalist. Her Campus BU is so lucky to have such a dedicated and positive leader. I can’t wait to read her profiles in The New Yorker (or another amazing magazine) in the future.
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