Entering my final years of college is bittersweet. These are the times everyone talks about and wishes they could go back, and while you’re in it, all you want to do is enter adulthood. Although it’s scary to think about it, we are ready. It’s what four years of outrageous tuition, boring classes, and amazing professors did for us. When I tell you my freshman-year self would be shook in the position I am today, I’m not joking; I wouldn’t be where I am today without joining both Her Campus and Women in Business.
Four years ago today, I followed my older sister, Ashlyn, to Women in Business events, while she told me I should find a club for myself to differentiate myself in. I copied her college and her major, and she hated that I did that; it’s just sister things. I told everyone I tried looking someplace else and was open to studying something else, but the people here just made me feel like I was meant to be here. It took me until my spring semester to finally join Her Campus. This club immediately piqued my interest: girl time, social media, and pink. I told one of my classmates I wanted to join but was too scared to go alone, but she promised me everyone there was so welcoming and excited to build the club. I went to one meeting and came back telling my roommates all about it, dragging them to the next meeting, and the next, building a bond with the girls around us and slowly but surely taking in the opportunities it had to offer.
By the end of that semester, I looked up to the E-Board, imagining myself in their shoes one day. Addison and Chelsea, the President and VP, told me and Nicole that we were just like them. They felt like our older sisters guiding us through college, making sure we were having fun at all events, saying hi while passing on the way to class, and even excitedly hugging each other at night outs. While I still had my sister and WIB, Her Campus allowed me to make a name for myself separate from my sister. Tuesday nights were for Her Campus, and Wednesday nights were for Women in Business. One gave me the opportunity to be creative, and the other structured my ideals for my future.Â
Summer came and went, and I found myself in the same routine. Addison and Chelsea saw how happy and interested I was in Her Campus, so they encouraged me to shadow the social media director. I felt like I was a part of the E-Board, knowing everything that went on behind the scenes of running a club. I enjoyed it and had so much fun. At the same time, Women In Business was looking for a new Secretary. My sister told me it was super easy and would look great on my resume, as she was the secretary before transitioning into the marketing/recruitment for WIB. So I tried it out, and it felt so official. I started going to even more WIB meetings, networking with speakers, and building a professional world for myself. I was learning so many skills and gaining confidence in myself as a student at Merrimack.Â
And now look where I am: President of Her Campus and Vice President of Women In Business. The two “girly” clubs on campus, that gave me so much more than pink themed things. If you’re a freshman reading this, do it. Go to that club meeting you have always been thinking about joining; do it alone or with a friend. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the people I’ve met at Merrimack. From Addison and Chelsea to my sister, Ashlyn, their encouragement and extra push helped shape me into the person I am today. So, take this as your sign to lean into the people who believe in you, let them push you, and become someone you never thought you could be.