The beginning of college sucked for me. Bad. I was away from home by only about 40 minutes, but it might as well have been 40 hours. I rarely spoke to my family, and making friends in an era of social distancing and being locked in a dorm was not easy. I also struggled with virtual learning. By my third week at CU, I had decided I was ready to go home and try again next year. Or maybe not.
One day, as I was scrolling through Instagram, I came across a recruitment post by HCCU. I’d always loved Her Campus, but I had NO idea CU had its own chapter. I’ll admit, I spent the next few hours stalking the HCCU Instagram. It was clear to me after. The vibes, immaculate. The members, spectacular. The writing, phenomenal. The social media pages, CUTE. I wanted to join. So I applied, and I got in!
I was so happy. The next thought that came to my mind was, “If you leave school, how will you be a part of HCCU?” So I gave school a chance because I wanted to write. In the next few weeks, my life changed drastically.
The first chapter meeting for HCCU came around, and after, I found myself talking to such amazing people who shared an interest in writing, and the “making friends” part of college became easy and worth it. I then began to feel a sense of belonging at CU, which motivated me to want to go to class and do my work. It completely changed the dynamic of my college experience, and it was truly the best decision I made this school year.
HCCU is so much more than writing. It is an empowering team of people who want to see you grow, and who genuinely care about you and your work. Chapter meetings are always a blast, and I walk out of every single one knowing someone new.
There’s room for so much growth. Looking back at my first article, I realize I was a much shyer writer, but now it is all I think about. There is also space to develop and share ideas in other departments, such as social media.
Lastly, HCCU gives you a space to be you. You can express yourself and share your passions with the world, right here. I feared not having that in college, but HCCU changed that.
Okay, so maybe you didn’t almost drop out and maybe your first semester went great. That is not why I’m telling you to apply. I’m telling you to apply because you’ll be cool if you do. You’ll also gain writing experience, an uplifting community, and the ability to help develop your professional skills. SO DO IT. Apply here: https://forms.gle/j6nzxbvViYozADw66