For Her Campus Buffalo’s second ever Member Monday, I had the honor of interviewing my best friend and our chapter correspondent, Katie Skoog. Be sure to check out her incredible weekly articles and follow her instagram @katiejskoog!
1. Introduce yourself a little, Tell us what you do for her campus.
“My name is Katie Skoog, and I major in psychology with a political science minor here at UB! At Her Campus Buffalo, I am the chapter president and senior editor. I edit and publish members’ articles and manage the chapter.”
2. How did you get involved with her campus and how do you feel it has affected you?
“My best friend Ali LeCroy got me involved halfway through my freshman year. I am so grateful to her because Her Campus has made me more confident in my writing abilities and has allowed me to explore what I love to write about! I also love being a part of this group of amazing women, we all bring various things to the table, which is what makes our chapter so great.”
3. if you were to pick a musical artist(s) that most embodies your self-image, who would it be an why?
“Hmmm this is a tough one! I would have to go with Pablo Muñoz, aka, Boy Pablo. His music is so upbeat and catchy, definitely the type of songs you can jam out to in the car. I follow him on Instagram and he just seems like such a genuine, sweet person. Pablo seems very go-with-the-flow, which I am all about! He is just doing what he loves and loving what he does, which is a goal of mine.”
4. Why do you study what you do at school?
“To be completely honest, I am still not exactly sure what I want to do with my degree. I chose psychology because I know for sure that I want to work with people and make an impact of some sort. I feel like psychology is something very broad in terms of what you can do with it, and if I already know that I want to work with people in some capacity, why not pursue that degree? I recently added a political science minor because politics is something I am also interested in. I worked on a campaign for our local congressman’s run for state senator, and ever since then I knew I wanted to be a part of enacting change and mobilizing the people. Working on future campaigns and having a higher-up role is something that I would be interested in and happy to do!”
5. What do you hope your impact will be? On the people in your life, the career you have, or the world in general.
“For the people in my life, I want my impact to be positive and memorable. I am so grateful for the people I have in my life, and I want them to learn things from me, and vice versa! I believe relationships are also about what you get out of them and most importantly, growth. I hope to continue to grow with the current people in my life, and whoever else may come my way! In terms of my career and the world in general, I want to help people and advocate for those who do not have advocates. I would like to change peoples’ perspectives in order to benefit them and have them lead a better life.”
6. What do you think the best and worst parts of our generation are?
“There is a lot of good and a lot of bad within our generation. What I really admire about us is our perseverance when it comes to speaking our minds about ongoing issues in this world. We are able to mobilize so many people, and not give up in the faces of those who are older and/or in power. Although, our generation is too quick to come to conclusions. For example, cancel culture is one of our downfalls. We are so quick to make assumptions or shut someone out completely. We need to be better at having productive conversations and actually learning something from one another. I know that is way easier said than done, but if we all enact that change within ourselves, it can lead to something more beneficial.”
7. What is your favorite class that you have taken at UB so far? Why?
“My favorite class that I have taken at UB so far is my ‘What is Feminism?’ class. I had to take it as one of my pathways, but feminism is already a topic I’m interested in, which is why I chose it. Going into the class I thought I already knew most of what there is to know about feminism. Boy was I far from right! I learned about the overlapping, intersecting issues of feminism in that class, which makes me view the matter in a whole new light.”
8. What is a conspiracy theory that you low-key (or high-key) kind of believe in?
“I low-key believe in the conspiracy that Michael Jackson was murdered by the Illuminati. I know it sounds insane, but I think the doctor who prescribed him his medicine was either 1) a part of the Illuminati, or 2) hired by them to kill MJ. A theory within this theory is that the Illuminati thought Michael Jackson was too powerful, and first tried getting rid of him by spreading falsities about him being a pedophile. Call me crazy but Hollywood is crazy and corrupt, this has been known; so I wouldn’t be surprised…”
9. What is the best advice you have ever received?
“One of the pieces of advice that still really sticks with me to this day is to live in the moment, not the past, not the future. The only thing that really matters is the present moment you are in. It’s easy to get too caught up thinking about things from the past or worrying about things in the future, but the best you can do is focus on the current moments in which you are living.”
10. If you could go back and convince your younger self of something, what would it be?
“I would tell my younger self to be unapologetically myself. Don’t conform yourself to fit others’ standards and do not be afraid to speak up for yourself!”
11. What is your comfort TV show?
I have three comfort shows: 1. The Office, 2. New Girl, and 3. iCarly!
12. What was the most impactful movie you ever watched?
“One of the most impactful movies I have ever watched is Boyhood, directed by Richard Linklater. The premise follows a boy’s journey as he grows up, and my favorite part about it is that the same cast was filmed over a time period of twelve years! There was something about seeing them all grow up right before my eyes that left a lasting impression on me. If you love coming-of-age movies, this one is a goodie!”
13. How old were you when you figured out that santa wasn’t real? Please share the story.
“I want to say I was about ten years old when I found out Santa wasn’t real. I remember I found some unwrapped presents hidden downstairs and thought to myself, “Oh! Santa came early.” Then I saw brand names and price tags on the packages and was confused because supposedly Santa and his elves made all of the toys from scratch! That was the moment I knew he wasn’t real (RIP).”
14. Tell me about your favorite teacher.
“I had this one teacher in high school for both sophomore English and my senior English class. Not only was she an amazing teacher and a wonderful person, but she taught me so much about life in general. I started getting into advocacy work around the time I met her, and I remember her constant encouragement and advice. Looking back I really appreciate all she did for me, and I am grateful to have had her as a support system within the school.”
15. Finally, give me your hottest take.
“My hot take is: Olivia Rodrigo is overhyped. Don’t get me wrong, so far from what I can see, she seems like a wonderful person and is so beautiful! Her music just doesn’t do it for me, it’s been done before.”