It’s that time of year again––the matriarch (let’s be real, here) of the family makes all 25 of you sit down around the table and tell what you’re thankful for before she lets you eat. We all know this horror. Do you choose the right answer and say you’re thankful for your family? Do you try to be funny and run the risk of offending someone? Or do you just mumble something so quietly nobody knows if you said, “I’m thankful for my new job” or, “I’m thankful for my new Rob.” The mumbling option usually results in one of two things: being hounded about that new job OR hounded about whoever this Rob person is. Take your pick!
But we’re not sitting around a dinner table. We’re not being forced to go around and say what we’re thankful for. I get it. All of us are stressed out college students––we’re just thankful for cheap food and naps. Let’s be real here. But, since this is our first big holiday as a chapter, I figured it was at least somewhat necessary to tell you what we’re thankful for this year.
1. It wouldn’t be right to start this list of with anything other than the fact that we actually have a chapter of Her Campus at Murray State. I took this challenge on as Campus Correspondent in the summer, and it stressed me out more than anything. But, as the semester has gone on, I’ve realized (along with the help of the ladies, and Simon, on our team) that bringing Her Campus to Murray State was exactly what needed to happen.
2. And for the sake of Thanksgiving mush… I have to say that we are thankful for the community Her Campus has given us. I’m just kidding––I didn’t say that because I had to. I mean that, and I’m pretty confident everyone in this chapter means it too. Her Campus has brought almost 20 of us together. 20 people who otherwise wouldn’t even be on each other’s radar, but who are now friends. We are our own new, slightly dysfunctional family, and we love each other. We’re there for each other.
3. We’re thankful for the opportunities we now have thanks to Her Campus. Opportunities that didn’t quite exist at Murray State previously. Yes, we have The News, but for non-journalism students, writing for a newspaper can seem pretty overwhelming. Her Campus is a different story––it’s fun, it’s exciting and best of all? It’s whatever we want it to be. So, we are thankful for the great opportunity to express ourselves, both as individuals and as a group of students.
4. Her Campus has given us a place on campus. This isn’t to say that we had nowhere before, because we did. But this is different. It’s a platform we didn’t have, and it’s a platform we needed. The team we have put together since August is a team full of women (and man!) with voices and opinions and now those voices and opinions have a place to go. I know we aren’t the only chapter who feels this way, but that excitement is still fresh for us. That is definitely something we’re thankful for this year.
5. Looking to the future. This one is more personal to me, but I’m including it because it involves our entire chapter. And it’s a double meaning point, so really, you’re about to get six reasons that Her Campus Murray State is thankful. You’re welcome. Anyway, back to my point. I’m thankful for the future that this chapter is going to have––I’m proud to say that I brought Her Campus to Murray State, and I can’t wait to see what it looks like long after I’ve graduated. I’m thankful that students who come after me will have this platform readily available for them to speak up for what they believe in––I think that’s the most rewarding thing. But I’m also thankful for my own future, as well as the future of our current members. We all have big things coming, and Her Campus has given (I think) all of us a boost. Whether that boost is in confidence, resume building, or writing skills, a boost is a boost. And in this world, that’s all we can ask for.
So, there it is. Five things Her Campus Murray State is thankful for this year. Just remember, when you’re sitting around a table surrounded by cousins you see once a year, just remember that if you mumble, you’ll be endlessly questioned about that new job. Or that new Rob. They didn’t hear you.
Happy Thanksgiving from Her Campus Murray State!
Thumbnail image by Simon Maage on Unsplash