Elise and Samantha are two best friends with the desire to communicate, thus the creation of the Her Campus Scranton chapter.Here’s their story.
Name: Elise ChaffiotteYear: 2015Major: Strategic Communication with a concentration in Public RelationsMinor: WritingHometown: Emerson, NJ
Name: Samantha MilazzoYear: 2016Major: Strategic Communication with a concentration in Public RelationsMinor: Business ManagementHometown: Moscow, PA
A little insight on Elise and Samantha:Elise loves traveling the world. Her favorite vacation spot is Italy where she continues to practice the Italian language. Shopping is a habit Elise cannot kick but nothing beats spending her time with family and friends. She also loves writing. When she was younger she and her mom would write stories after using stickers to create scenes. She attributes her writing skills to her mom and believes her mom is the reason she enjoys writing so much today.
Samantha is an East Coast girl who loves shopping and baseball. She enjoys traveling to the Caribbean but is expanding her destination options this intercession by studying abroad in Italy. She is constantly striving to accomplish her goals and lead a positive lifestyle. Do you want to know a fun fact about Samantha? She teaches gymnastics! Samantha finds happiness in making those around her confident and pushing them to succeed.
What clubs and activities are you involved in on campus?Elise:
- Her Campus Scranton
- The University of Scranton Equestrian Team
- PRSSA (Public Relations Student Society of America)
- Publicity Chair for Colleges Against Cancer
Samantha:
- Her Campus Scranton
- PRSSA (Public Relations Student Society of America)
- The University of Scranton Business Club, upcoming Secretary
Where have you interned?Elise:This past summer I interned at The Thomas Collective, a boutique lifestyle public relations agency in New York City. As a Public Relations intern I was able to be a part of both national and international campaigns.
Samantha:This past summer I spent my time as a Public Relations intern at Dress for Success. I truly consider this internship one of my most embracing experiences yet.
How did you hear about Her Campus?Elise:I came across Her Campus one day when I randomly saw an article someone shared on Facebook. Shortly after my findings, a friend from high school started a Her Campus chapter at Fairfield University. After seeing how much fun she was having with HC and how the students responded to the website I instantly became obsessed. After looking through the site and all the different chapters I wondered why Scranton didn’t have one and knew we needed one!
Samantha:Social media! One day this past summer I discovered Her Campus on Instagram, and instantly became obsessed. I wanted to know how I could become involved. I looked into Her Campus, searching the web, immediately became addicted and knew we needed to start our own for Scranton.
What made you want to create a HC for Scranton?Elise:Her Campus is a unique site and it has been an amazing experience being co-founder and campus correspondent for Scranton. I really wanted to create HCScranton because it helps girls launch their careers while still in school. The things you learn by being a part of Her Campus isn’t like anything you’d learn in a classroom. Her Campus allows girls to write for their peers in a fun and informative way on a weekly basis. Many girls find the news to be uninteresting and we get to recreate the news in a way college girls want to read. Being able to see our work and the work of our writers on a national site each week is such a rewarding feeling!
Samantha:Her Campus is a website that brings people together. It’s relatable and fun. I wanted to bring something to Scranton that could be that extra push getting through a stressful day and being able to read something written by your peers is amazing. Her Campus is renown for helping girls launch their career. Being able to bring this opportunity to Scranton has been rewarding since day one.
What made you and Samantha pair up to create HCScranton?Elise:Samantha and I are such close friends and I felt that as a team we could create this amazing site for Scranton. I really wanted to bring Her Campus to Scranton and after seeing how much fun the Fairfield girls had and I knew Samantha and I would be the perfect pair. Her Campus is a really fun experience and getting the opportunity to do it with your best friend is even better. Since we are both Strategic Communication majors we are really interested in this type of writing. Having a background in communication allowed us to be better prepared for the whole process.
What made you and Elise pair up to create HCScranton?Samantha:Elise is my go-to girl. She encourages me to go above and beyond in all my work. I knew that in order to have HC at Scranton you needed two dedicated students who are willing to go that extra mile. What better way to take on this challenge than with your best friend? We both have strong interests in all that HC has to offer and can both work well under stress. It has been incredible being able to accomplish so much with Elise.
What is your favorite section of HC?Elise:My favorite section in HC would have to be either the feature stories or the blogs. I love the features because writing them allows me to bring news and campus events to Scranton in a way our students want to be informed. It is a fun way to fill students in on what is happening while still spreading awareness for different news worthy events. I also really love our blog section, both writing and reading what other members have to say. This is a really unique section that allows our writers to shine through their individuality. Since our blogs can be about pretty much anything there is a lot of free range for everyone. Both of these sections really allow us to connect with the girls at Scranton, which is what our site is all about!
Samantha:My favorite section of HC is definitely the blogs. The amount of fun I have writing, editing, and reading these is unlike any other. I have seen a lot of our writer’s talent expressed through the blogs and they have stepped outside their usual boundary. Every section is amazing though don’t get me wrong.
Final thoughts by Elise:“Being able to lead a group of such fun and creative girls has made the Her Campus Scranton experience so amazing. We have really created a little HC family through this experience. HCScranton has allowed us to reach out to so many people in such a unique way. Seeing the work that everyone produces each week reminds us how successful this site is! Her Campus Scranton is a site that really is for the Scranton girl by Scranton girls, it is catered specifically for them.”
Final thoughts by Samantha:“It has been extraordinary to see how Her Campus has brought girls together at Scranton. We have such a variety of people and when we are at our meetings we are one, sharing the same laughs and encouraging one another. I’m so happy to be a part of Her Campus and I’m excited to see what the future holds.”