I had heard about Her Campus all throughout my first year at Cal Lutheran and I had no idea what the club was about exactly. From what I had heard from other students and what the name was I assumed it was a club about feminism, which I was excited to hear about because feminism and equality and important topics to be fighting for and talking about. But then I thought about it and to be completely honest, I got scared. We live in a world full of a lot of love and a whole bunch of hate, anger, and injustice as well. I knew from past experiences that more often than not, feminists got a bad rap because society would normally see us as whiny, stuck up, rude, or too extreme. And in fairness, I have seen the “extreme feminist” every once in awhile. So I decided not to join and my second year at Cal Lutheran came rolling around and I had a new roommate, who did join Her Campus and she fell in love with the club.
She didn’t really talk about Her Campus at Cal Lutheran during our first semester as roommates, she would just say how much she enjoyed it and how she made quite a few friends through HCCLU. Then second semester rolled around and she asked me, as a theoretical question, “don’t you like writing Kyla?” This question is theoretical because I love writing, I always have and I probably always will. So I said yes and then she mentioned how HCCLU needed more writers for their Writing Team and asked me if I would think about joining. I thought about why I didn’t join in the first place and then I thought about that mindset a little bit more. Her Campus at Cal Lutheran’s whole Chapter!
I asked myself, why wouldn’t I join a club that emphasizes what I believe in; that emphasizes feminism and equality and highlights just how amazing females are and how amazing people are? Would it be so terrible if I joined a club that may get a bad rap from everyone else if I genuinely enjoyed what I was doing? We’re accustomed to writing essays and reports and research papers and sometimes people forget that writing can be incredibly fun and satisfying. It’s a different feeling to put your honest thoughts about what’s happening around you on paper and see your thoughts get published online. It’s strange to think about how many people could read your articles, how many lives your article can touch, and how many people can relate to what you’re saying. You might be giving someone a different way of looking at a situation or you also have the power to make someone feel like they aren’t alone. Her Campus at Cal Lutheran’s Disney themed Welcome Banquet
So I applied and obviously, I was accepted into the Writing Team and from then on, I’ve been able to find out just how amazing being part of the HCCLU Writing Team is. I’ve written articles about topics that interest me and students rarely get that opportunity to express themselves fully during the academic year. Not to mention I’ve made new friends and now I’m the Writing Director for HCCLU, which has given me this amazing opportunity to grow and challenge myself. Now, why would I want to write more than I already have to for class assignments? You’re probably asking yourself the same thing. Let me ask you this in return: do you have an opinion about something, anything? Do you feel passionate about a topic, a brand, a current event, or anything? Can you read and write?
If your answer to any of those is yes, then why wouldn’t you want to be able to express those opinions and those feelings instead of bottling them up or telling it to the same people? You are capable of reaching out to people who may agree or disagree with you. You are capable of giving people new ideas for having fun, for traveling, for doing make up, for studying, for living. Her Campus at Cal Lutheran’s Writing Team
You all have experiences that could educate, impact, and change the lives of other people if they read about it. An article you could potentially write about being a college student and how you overcome your obstacles could help a student who’s thinking about quitting because they feel like no one understands what they’re going through. You can bring awareness to a topic that you think needs to be in the spotlight. If you’re passionate about events that have been happening anywhere in the world and think more people should know about it, the you can write about it and educate people. I joined the HCCLU Writing Team because I love writing and I think as students of this generation we have resources like technology and education that give us the opportunity to put our thoughts into words and share those words with other people. I think as students, we underestimate our ability to use the voices we have and the opinions we form to contribute to the world and the conversations and events going on around us. Being part of the writing team gave me the opportunity to use my voice, to use what I’ve learned, and to use the passion I have for topics and contribute to the conversations and stories we see online. I think you all have the same opportunity if you just take a chance, be brave, and write with HCCLU.