Her Campus Helsinki is starting its activities as the school year is getting started, and the team has undergone some changes: we have a new Campus Correspondent (CC), and (hopefully) a lot of new contributors! I am myself a new member but got to interview our new CC, Anna Kyrylina, right away.
Hi! First, tell me a bit about yourself and your studies at the University of Helsinki?
I am a final year master’s student majoring in English Philology with interests in reading, Zumba dancing, yoga and Netflix binge-watching. Additionally, I am an English teacher at an online language school called Skyeng. In my master studies, the main focus is on sociolinguistics, teaching English to ELT students as well as text analysis. I am currently writing my thesis and the topic I came up with allows me to study the rhetorical structure of self-help book blurbs, analyze adjectives and explain the importance of their usage in book blurbs.
How did you end up at the University of Helsinki, of all places?
After I had done my bachelor studies in English Philology from one of the Ukrainian universities, I went for exchange to study at Humboldt University in Berlin. That was my “dream come true” moment in terms of the courses, another atmosphere and culture, and of course, the system of education, which was different from the one we had in Ukraine. After half a year of my exchange, I returned back and started sending off applications to some German universities. To my disappointment, I got rejected but decided to keep looking until one day I accidentally ran into my university friend from Ukraine, who at that time was already a freshman of English Philology at the University of Helsinki. That was a turning point; I checked the website, application requirements, and everything seemed to be fitting in terms of courses I had studied and the results of my IELTS test. Then I sent off my application and after several months, I got the long-awaited letter of acceptance.
How did you get involved with Her Campus (HC) in the first place?
Actually, I got the knowledge of HC last year in November. I remember at that time I was searching for university organizations where I would be able to try myself as a writer, so I came across HC. However, due to the packed schedule at work and classes, I decided to put my idea off until the next term. So already in January, I got a newsletter from HC hiring new writers and that was it, I got in touch with Milka and Esther (HC ex-CCs), we set up a meeting to talk requirements and my background and there I was – a new member of the HC team! This is where my writing journey has started.
You have written articles on multiple subjects such as International Women’s day and relaxing breathing techniques. Where do you get your ideas?
I am usually very attentive and curious, so I can be inspired by numerous things. Quite often I get fascinated by completely bizarre and out of the box things like pieces of art or fashion runways. Those things do real tricks to my imagination and sometimes bring hard-to-explain feelings. However, the other example has nothing to do with the so-called weirdness. The very first article I have written was about breathing techniques taken from yoga. Yoga plays a special role in my life for many years already, and it is not only my constant saver from muscle stiffness caused by sitting all day but also a powerful tool to reach emotional equilibrium. So, I decided to write about something that I truly love doing as well as practical and applicable to others on an everyday basis.
How did you come to be the new Campus Correspondent?
The day I got a message from the girls proposing me to become a Campus Correspondent, I was sooo excited and despite my concern about not having enough time to handle a lot of work, I took the opportunity and of course, said “yes”. After, I took an edit and management test containing tasks in which I was supposed to show my knowledge of publicity and team management as well as of editing and pitching ideas.
What do you expect from this year concerning Her Campus, as it is your first year as a Campus Correspondent?
For the coming year, I am planning to have more events and interesting giveaways. Since we are an online magazine and our mission is to create the great content, professional workshops on writing and editing would be of great value to our team. I have also planned a few team outings to the theater and some museums. Overall, I am excited and looking forward to knowing what the year as the new CC holds for me.
I know you are graduating soon, what plans do you have for the future?
I definitely do not plan much at this point as I am still working on my thesis, but the next step on my list is to do an internship and get as much practical experience as possible, preferably in journalism, communication or marketing. This year I also plan to be more active in volunteering, for example, I was assigned to a role of a Checkpoint guide at Fuksiseikkailu (Fresher Adventure) that will be held on the 28th of September. What I do not want to miss is taking full advantage of the activities and events that are provided by the University of Helsinki.
Thanks so much for letting us know you better, and I am sure this year will be a good one!