I recently had the opportunity to catch up with Her Campus UBC’s previous Co-Campus Correspondent Katie Tissington-Turner to ask her about what she’s been up to lately.
“I’ve been an Unclassified student for the past year taking Counselling Psychology courses while working as a Residence Coordinator at UBC,” Katie explains. “It is nice to only have one or two at a time to contend with! Homework is a stressor no matter how few courses one has, though.
“I am transitioning out of my role [in residence] over the next month into the big wide world, but not before going to Poland for a global seminar to do psychology research related to the Holocaust.
“After Poland…I’m not so sure,” she says. “But I have been applying to jobs with non-profits and universities and have recently started volunteering with a wonderful organization called the Looking Glass Foundation.” The Looking Glass Foundation is a Vancouver-based non-profit for individuals with eating disorders.
Katie says that she knows she will eventually “want to retire and have a tea cafe, but between now and then, I imagine I’ll be in helping professions in some form…I might go into counselling, but in the short-term I am going to explore opportunities to support others through my work.
“I like this quote when thinking of how I like to help others: ‘It may be that you are not yourself luminous but that you are a conductor of light. Some people without possessing genius have a remarkable power of stimulating it’ – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
I asked Katie what her favourite part of being involved with Her Campus was. “I really, really loved Her Campus,” she says. “It felt like something we could really make our own, and it was one of the few things I can point to during my time in university and say, ‘Yes, I took ownership over that.’”
She added that working with the rest of the team was a highlight as well. “And the opportunities to connect with interesting people and career resources through involvement with an online publication were pretty incredible features of my time with Her Campus. I was also a Chapter Advisor for one term and advised five chapters remotely, and it was exciting to see what other schools in different parts of the world are writing about!
“I don’t think I realized how much I loved editing and writing for an online platform until I was involved with Her Campus, and it allowed me to develop skills that I would come to really appreciate being able to talk about for future jobs and to use for my own personal blogging!” Katie added, discussing how her involvement with Her Campus has helped her professionally. “I think that being a co-campus correspondent definitely helped land me my current role as a Residence Coordinator and gave me the ability to add editing and publication experience to my resume!”
Katie found the experience personally enriching as well. “Her Campus allowed me to develop my confidence in significant ways. My confidence can be shaky at best sometimes, and co-leading a staff of talented individuals made it feel easier to trust in myself and my abilities.”
I asked Katie what advice she has for current undergraduate women. “YOU DO YOU,” she emphasizes. “I know that that is easier said than done sometimes, but I think for me it means to stay true to your values, whether that is connected to family, career ambitions, or personal passions. It isn’t always easy or safe for people to stay true to their values, but seek out resources and support so that you can be true to you.”