Dear Future HCCLU Members,
Her Campus at Cal Lutheran was once a small team of ambitious freshmen women who wanted to make a big difference within Cal Lutheran. A lot of us didn’t belong in sport teams or clubs to begin with, therefore, it was a challenge trying to find community within our school before HCCLU. My roommates and I were pulled into HCCLU by the founder Dani, mostly because we were her roommates and we wanted to support her.
Before we could do anything with Her Campus, we basically had to do a lot of preparation to make this club an actual thing. One of the first things we had to do was get 100 email addresses so that we could let Nationals (the ones who administer the main Her Campus site) know that our school was interested in having a Her Campus Chapter. So, we asked everyone we knew who went to our school and went door to door around the freshman halls, just to get these emails.Soon enough, word spread out about CLU wanting a Her Campus Chapter and people were actually interested. Once we got the approval from Nationals, we were ready to form HCCLU. We had a little interest meeting in our dorm with Andrea and Bri, who were interested in being Vice President and Secretary. After HCCLU had formed their exec cabinet, it was time to have a regular interest meeting. This interest meeting was in one of the small study rooms at Mount Clef residential hall.
On Saint Patrick’s Day 2015, HCCLU was officially a club on campus! We had a little celebration on the Spine and everything! This club has gone through many changes in its three year journey, therefore, every year will always be a little different. I remember we once had a hundred members–that was crazy!The one thing that people skip over when applying for HCCLU is the fact that you must contribute in one way or another: event planning, creating social media posts, being a part of photography team, tabling for publicity, writing articles, or even hosting a radio show. I hosted a radio show for two years called the “Her Campus Hour” because our last club advisor, Nancy Rodriguez also advised iCLU Radio. Soon, she offered me a job on campus by working at iCLU Radio. It was great working with music and other people! I learned a lot through this club, from leadership to writing. Therefore, if you’re going to join one of the best clubs on campus, HCCLU, you have to put effort into it. This club is what you make it out to be, so don’t be afraid to try new things!If any of these branches are up your alley, join! In addition to these, you can ask our current presidents, Fran and Simone if you can create things for our club such as graphics or compile recruitment videos.
You will make lifelong friendships in this club and sometimes those friendships are made at the most random of moments. I’ve seen people grow from this club from when they were freshmen to seniors, and I am one of them. The group bonding events are always welcoming and have great food!
The new executives of the club are really welcoming as well. They are a well rounded group of women and I’m really excited for where they will take HCCLU next! The director of my team, Kyla, is one of the brightest Writing Directors ever. She makes a great leader and keeps the writers passionate. Fran and Simone are extremely passionate about the club as much as Dani was. They bring their A-Game all the time and it’s wonderful to see that energy go through them!
Now, I’ve moved on to bigger and better things asides from HCCLU. This club has taught me everything I need to know. It empowered me to be a better person everyday. It’s still one of the best clubs on campus. I’m glad I stayed for the last year to see the how execs have grown to become amazing people. It’s been a wonderful time seeing the club expand through the years! I’ve met so many incredible individuals and I’m glad I had this experience.
This club might change you and put you in a new direction. It might not, but just give it a try. Thank you for reading this letter. I wish you the best of luck on your freshman year.
Much love,
Emily Yoshida