Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at Her Campus NYU? We’re launching a Profile series featuring a group of special campus celebrities: our very own Her Campus NYU editors! These are the grammar queens with the brilliant ideas, social media prowess and killer editing skills. From brainstorming pitches, editing articles, leading staff meetings and hosting on-campus events, these women do it all! Stay tuned in the upcoming weeks for more articles dedicated to our Spring 2016 Her Campus’ Editorial Staff.
The Rundown:
Name: Erin Siu
School/Year: Gallatin ‘18
Major/Concentration: Comparative Literature & Music
Hometown: Lafayette, CA
HC NYU: When did you first hear about Her Campus NYU and how did you get involved?
ES: I heard about Her Campus NYU during my freshman year and decided to get in touch with the current CC at the time. I found that the site is really informative, but also fun and laidback. HC NYU posts articles about art, music, dining, fashion, love and even inspirational students around campus. The content really stood out to me, and I wanted to join a publication that was tailored for women, written by women. I started out writing about “Formidable Females” for the “Profile” section, and I’ve actually met so many people at NYU that way. It’s amazing to see how many students are doing great things for the school and for the world!
HC NYU: What is it like serving as Campus Correspondent?
ES: My responsibilities as the Campus Correspondent of HC NYU include overseeing the content that goes on the site, giving every piece a final edit after our senior editors have looked over them, publicizing Her Campus on social media and holding two to three meetings per semester to brainstorm pitches with our writers.
HC NYU: Aside from Her Campus, what other organizations are you a part of?
ES: Apart from Her Campus, I write for Washington Square News, our school newspaper, and I am a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma and the NYU Steinhardt Women’s Choir. I will also be a Welcome Week Leader in the fall!
HC NYU: Can you tell us more about your personal lifestyle blog, Manhattan Muses?
ES: Of course! This is kind of funny. So I actually started my blog back in 2010. Originally, I only posted book reviews for all the YA lit I was reading–you know, Divergent, Pretty Little Liars, The Hunger Games, all that good stuff. When I started college in 2014, I was inspired by the city life around me–I came from a suburb in CA–and wanted to document my experiences living in New York City. Eventually, the site evolved from just book reviews into a lifestyle blog about music, fashion, food, travel, love and more. Sometimes, I’ll post some of the essays and pieces I write for school, including creative writing. Mostly, it’s whatever I want to share with the world.
HC NYU: What are your academic and career plans for the rest of the year?
ES: Currently, I’m interning at The Book Report Network, which is a network of six book-based editorial websites across different demographics and interests. I’ll continue to intern there remotely after the spring. This summer, I’ll be interning at Macmillan Publishers in their Children’s Publishing Group. This fall, I’ll be interning at Simon & Schuster. I’m really excited to be working in book publishing!
HC NYU: What do you like to dabble in during your free time?
ES: Generally you can find me wandering in a bookstore or sitting in a café reading and writing on my free time. I enjoy writing inspirational pieces, such as ways to be a happier individual or tips to be more creative. I also spend a lot of time obsessively making playlists on Spotify…90% of the time you see me, I’ll have headphones on, listening to the 30+ playlists I’ve made on Spotify. Lastly, this is something that most people don’t know about me, but I love playing video games. I used to play World of Warcraft pretty frequently, but I can’t seem to keep up with all the new expansions, ha.
HC NYU: And the dreaded question…Where would you like to see yourself in 10 years?
ES: Oh god, well, hopefully I’ll be living happily in a big city–doesn’t matter where, as long as it’s a big city with lots of bookstores!–and working in editorial at a book publishing company or a website. Maybe I’ll be traveling the world and working on my own novel, who knows?
HC NYU: What’s one must-see film (or if you want, must-read book)?
ES: There is this sci-fi film I watched about a year ago called Snowpiercer, that I still think about today. The film is directed by Bong Joon-ho, and it takes place in a future where a failed climate-change experiment kills off life on earth, save for a group of surviving humans, who board the Snowpiercer, a train that travels around the globe via a perpetual motion engine. A class system emerges on the train, with the rich living luxuriously in the front, while the poor starve and are forced to work in the back of the train. The film is basically a huge allegory about climate change and class warfare. It’s insane, definitely a must-see! Don’t even get me started on books…
And to wrap it up….
Go-to Brunch Spot: The Grey Dog–it’s like a 3 minute walk from where I live, perfect for lazy Sundays.
If you could have dinner with anyone, who would you choose?: Hmm…I think I would either have dinner with Haruki Murakami, so I can ask him a million questions about his books, or Matt Corby, so I can ask him to serenade me. I can’t decide.
Biggest Pet Peeve: Frenemies
Coffee or Tea: Both!
Favorite Book Genre: Literary Fiction, YA
You splurge on…: Coffee, books and Kapparel
Follow Erin on Social Media!