When Lara Highfill began college at Oregon State University, she went in undecided. She had grown up wanting to be a dentist, then became interested in pursuing environmental sciences. Now? Lara is a VP of Influencer at HUNTER, an integrated marketing and public relations firm, where she oversees influencer partnerships for some of the world’s biggest brands.
“You never know what you’ll end up doing,” Lara tells Her Campus in an interview celebrating Her Campus’s 15th anniversary. In honor of its landmark birthday, Her Campus is talking to alums, like Lara, in a special edition of our Dream Jobs franchise. This collection of interviews still features cool people doing cool things, it’s just that those cool people were part of the Her Campus family during their college career.
After booking a one-way ticket to New York City after graduating, Lara found herself quickly immersed in a world and career that both fueled her and inspired her. Read on to learn more about Lara’s time as a student at Oregon State University — where she led her campus’s Her Campus chapter, what she learned from her time with HC, and how she took an unpaid internship and grew it into a successful career in marketing.
Her Campus: Tell us a little more about yourself when you were in college. Where did you go to school and what did you major in?
Lara Highfill: I went to Oregon State University and majored in Digital Communication Arts (basically, a hodgepodge of all things social and digital). Funnily enough, I started college with an undeclared major, pursuing an education in Environmental Science — you never know what you’ll end up doing!
HC: What was your dream job growing up? What about when you were in college?
LH: Growing up I wanted to be a dentist, which still makes me laugh to this day because I HATE the dentist (and am there entirely too much #genetics). In college, once I settled into my media major and got into things like Her Campus, I knew I wanted to move to New York City and do something in fashion. I had a blog in college and thought my dream would forever be to become a magazine editor, but I stumbled into the business side of influencer marketing and never looked back!
HC: What was your role in Her Campus at your college?
LH: I was lucky enough to found the Her Campus chapter at Oregon State, and oversee the group as Editor-in-chief and President during my time there.
HC: Do you have any specific memories from your time in Her Campus?
LH: Too many to count! One thing that will stick in my mind forever was when we hosted our first on-campus dance as a fund-raising event. This was something we were passionate about since dances in college don’t typically happen outside of Greek Life, and it was so fun to be able to bring the larger student community together for something like that (while learning how to gain event sponsors and garner social coverage along the way!).
HC: Is there anything that you learned during your time with Her Campus that you still utilize in your career now?
LH: Honestly, one of the best things I learned is how to spot a good story — and storytelling has been so crucial to the campaigns I’ve cherished most throughout my career. I take pride in thinking “outside of social” when it comes to the influencer campaigns I manage, and working across so many different media elements during my time at Her Campus definitely set me up for success in that regard.
HC: What advice would you give your college self?
LH: You don’t have to have it all figured out. My dreams (personally and professionally) have changed so many times between now and college, and giving yourself room to figure things out, change, and grow is so important.
HC: What did the year after graduation look like? Did you find a job right away? What was that job?
LH: About a week after graduation, I took a chance and hopped on a one-way flight to NYC! Thankfully, my (initially unpaid) internship evolved into a full-time role, and I happened to fall into an industry that has continued to fuel and inspire me. It was definitely scary since I didn’t know a single soul here, but it was so, so worth it.
HC: What did you learn from your first job out of college?
LH: That (in our field), it really isn’t that serious — it’s PR not the ER! I used to put so much pressure on myself, and my drive for perfection led me to extreme burnout. Now, I have a much better mindset about my job and how it defines me, which allows me to be a better person in both my personal and professional lives.
HC: What is your job now? Can you describe what a day-in-the-life looks like?
LH: As a VP of Influencer at HUNTER, I get to oversee influencer partnerships for some of the world’s biggest brands. Each day is a little bit different which I love — some days I’m more ingrained in brand planning and strategy, and others I get to be more in the weeds with my team bringing some really fun programs to life. Whether I’m managing client budgets, taking meetings with agents and influencers, or brainstorming some big ideas, every program challenges me in new ways.
HC: What is your favorite thing about your current job?
LH: How does the saying go… do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life? While some days definitely feel like work, I truly have a smile on my face every time I talk about what I do. How can you not when you can call scrolling TikTok for hours on end part of the job?
For more Dream Jobs interviews with Her Campus alums, check out Celebrating 15 Years of Her Campus here.