Meet The Writers of Her Campus Umass Amherst!

Name:Deirdre Cusack
Hometown:Westfield, Ma
Year: Junior
Major:Communications
Favorite part about Her Campus:Endless amounts of articles to read
Career Goal:To be a writer for Cosmo
Worst Habit:I am addicted to movie theatre, extra butter popcorn
3 things I could not live without:Friends, Family, and coffee
Something a lot of people don’t know about you:I lived in New York City
Most over-played song on your iPod:Lissie – Little Lovin’
Biggest Pet Peeve: People with zero sense of humor
 

Name: Alex McClung
Hometown: Hurst, TX
Year: Senior
Major: Journalism
Minor: Art History 
Favorite part about Her Campus: There’s nothing better than writing about something that you love, and Her Campus allows me to use my voice and share something that’s important to me.  
Career Goal: I’m sort of split on that one. I would like to write beauty articles for women’s magazines such as Glamour or Allure, but I would also loved to be a publicist. 
Worst Habit: I’m not a nail biter or a fidgeter, but I do have a penchant for anything and everything sweet.
3 things I could not live without: My bunny, Atticus, cheeseburgers, and moisturizer.
Something a lot of people don’t know about you: No one thinks I’m athletic, but little do they know I’ve been a pretty solid hiker/ mountain climber since I was about 8. Who wants to be in a gym after growing up rock climbing in the south! 
Most over-played song on your iPod: I’m currently burning out Infinity Guitars by Sleigh Bells and You Are The Ocean by Phantogram.
Biggest Pet Peeve: Errm… I really can’t stand pretension. 

Name: David Letters
Hometown: Leominster, MA
Year: Senior
Major: Journalism, Sociology double
Favorite part about Her Campus: Super-local capability that caters to the UMass student population
Career Goal: To be a corporate Lobbyist
Worst Habit: Chicken. Bacon. Ranch. Gets me every time.
3 things I could not live without: Music, my phone, quality meals
Something a lot of people don’t know about you: I don’t eat breakfast, it ruins my day. Most over-played song on your iPod: The General by Dispatch
Biggest Pet Peeve: People that use the word ‘like’ too much.

Name: Stefanie Lindenbaum
Hometown: Hewlett, New York
Year: 2012
Major: Sociology
Minor: Education and Psychology
Favorite part about Her Campus: Hearing from our readers that they were inspired by our articles
Career Goal: To write for a magazine (My dream job is writing for Cosmo!)
Worst Habit: procrastination
3 things I could not live without: My friends and family, my iPod and my computer
Something a lot of people don’t know about you: I secretly wish I was talented enough of a singer to be a rock star
Most over-played song on your iPod:Anything Britney Spears
Biggest Pet Peeve: bad drivers! (even though I am sort of one of them!) 
 

Name:Emily McLaughlin
Hometown:Pembroke, Ma.
Year:Senior
Major:JOURN/COMM
Minor:SOC
Favorite part about Her Campus:Her Campus is geared towards the college girl, a girl I can relate to. 
Career goal:Editor at a health/fitness magazine, or public relations for a company of the sorts
Worst habit:I am always on fast-forward. I talk fast, I eat fast; I do a lot of things too fast. This contributes to my clumsiness, but also contributes to my excellent multi-tasking abilities.
3 Thing I couldn’t live without:My friends, my iPhone, yoga.
Something a lot of people don’t know about you:I was a very, very chubby child. I really liked margarine and brownies (not together, I hope).
Most over-played song on your iPod:The songs I use for my Zumba classes definitely get the most plays on my iPod (the #1 being Waka Waka). But if those are overlooked, my top plays include anything and everything Jack’s Mannequin.
Biggest Pet Peeve: It makes me uncomfortable when people crack their knuckles or backs or toes or anything. I am slowly, but surely, becoming more tolerant of this.

Name: Kim Giordano
Hometown: Montvale, NJ
Year: Junior
Major: Communication
Favorite part about Her Campus: I love how relatable every single article is.
Career Goal: I’d love to be able to write for any of the magazines that
I’ve been reading since I was 13; Glamour and Seventeen are my top
choices!
Worst Habit: I bite my nails when I get really nervous. I also tend to
break out into dance when anything remotely exciting happens to me.
3 things I could not live without: My iPod, my contacts/glasses (I’m
blind as a bat) and coffee!
Something a lot of people don’t know about you: I used to do theatre
in high school and was the lead in our musicals. People are always
taken aback if they go far enough into my Facebook pictures and they
see me in full-fledged costumes or if they hear me sing.
Most over-played song on your iPod: I wouldn’t be lying if I said it
was Taylor Swift… but lately I’ve been loving the new Bon Iver
album.
Biggest Pet Peeve: I absolutely hate when the person behind me starts
kicking my chair, especially in movie theaters! It annoys me beyond
belief and my friends think I’m crazy when I get up and move.

Name:Roisin O’Flaherty
Hometown:Westwood, MA
Year:Senior
Major:Journalism
Favorite part about Her Campus:RLCG!
Career goal:To work for a major public relations firm or do something in the fashion industry
Worst habit:When something’s really funny, I laugh way too loud… and am prone to squeaking
3 Thing I couldn’t live without:My family (including my dog Sam), friends and dark chocolate
Something a lot of people don’t know about you:I’m a first generation American
Most over-played song on your iPod:The Walk- Mayer Hawthorne
Biggest Pet Peeve: Bad tippers and people who are rude to servers, bartenders, etc…

 

Name: Emily Blair Mergel
Hometown: Boston, Mass
Year: 2014
Major: Communications, working on BDIC for “Resistance Art and Literature”
Favorite part about Her Campus: The hilarious punch lines embedded in all the how-tos! I love seeing the silly things our writers throw in there while still being super informative.
Career Goal: Somehow helping lower-income individuals, women, and their families by exposing them to art and literature.
Worst Habit: Adjusting my makeup at inopportune times. If I go missing I’m probably tweaking my eyeliner in the closest bathroom.
 3 things I could not live without: Air, water, and my tattered, Lacoste makeup bag (well, the contents of it).
Something a lot of people don’t know about you: One of my life goals is to adopt a kinkajou from Costa Rica. Google them. They’re nocturnal and drink nectar from tubal flowers while swinging through the trees from their tails with their night vision. SO awesome.
Most over-played song on your iPod: Sadly, “Part of your World” from The Little Mermaid. It’s very soothing and you know those sleep playlists run all night! 
Biggest Pet Peeve: Anyone who acts like you haven’t lived if you haven’t seen their favorite TV show or heard their favorite band is trippin’. If you can’t have a conversation without quizzing me on the plot lines in an obscure It’s Always Sunny episode, I’m just going to stare at you. Blink. Blink. You’re hip to pop-culture. Noted. Moving on.

Name: Julie Tran