Being the President and Vice President of Her Campus Carleton of 2024-2025 was an incredible experience, as it made us grow and create memories. Since being president and vice president, we have learned a lot about ourselves and the meaning of leadership. In this article, we will reflect on our experiences and lessons learned.
President– Gabriella
As a second-year student, my chances of becoming President of Her Campus Carleton were low. I have always loved writing, talking to people, and leading groups. It seemed natural to me to want to apply to the President position. But when I applied, I put it as my last option, thinking there was no way it would ever occur.
I am so glad that a year ago, I had the thought to apply, because this year has been so fulfilling. My team members fill me with so much joy, and I have had an amazing time planning events, writing articles, and coordinating the lovely ladies at Her Campus Carleton.
Being President taught me many lessons and gave me so many things, but today I can only share a few with you:
The Importance of Female Community: I met so many wonderful, like-minded women this year. HCC is about strong women, for strong women. In this club, you don’t feel judged for expressing feminine qualities or wanting to speak freely about being a woman. Through women-curated events like Henna and Paint Night, Self-Care and Face Mask Night, and our Women’s History Month Campaign, HCC gave me a big community of women- something I hadn’t experienced before. That is extremely invaluable.
Writing as a Journalism Student: When you are constantly being critiqued, criticized, and evaluated for your writing, It sometimes feels like writing will never be joyful again. Gone were the days that I wrote stories of love and friendship and life, replaced with stories of meetings, policy, and trauma. I had to extract myself and place myself at a distance to write objectively and factually.
HCC brought me back to a place where I knew writing could be joyful again. This club allowed me to write about my silly little passions, about my hair, about my personal opinions. I will forever be grateful for this space which allows me to write freely.
Time Management: Being president is a big time commitment, but throughout the year, it allowed me to learn the importance of time management and balance. Sometimes, I had to step away from big projects and big exams to work on club administration. This taught me how to effectively work on both academics and extracurriculars while also still finding time for myself. The biggest tip I have is to realize that sometimes, there are more important things than academics. HCC is so fulfilling that I learned not to mind stepping away from school to work on my presidential duties.
HCXO, your 2024-25 President, Gabriella
VICE PRESIDENT– Harkiren
When I saw the 2024-2025 applications opening up for Her Campus Carleton, I was filled with self doubt, since I had always been a bit shy and never really took charge, which worsened my confidence. Would I be good enough? Would anyone take me seriously? However, when I got voted into the Vice President position, I was filled with both shock and confidence in myself. Being Vice President of Her Campus Carleton, was such a rewarding experience, from overcoming my self doubt, learning quite a bit about leadership/ being a part of a team and creating new connections with the lovely team members. Now that my time is up as Vice President, there are a few things I learned:
Communicate with your team members: Communicate with your team, especially with the President, to make sure the team is running smoothly. Update the weekly agenda, attend Social Media, Events, Editorial meetings, ask for updates, update the president with deadlines and decisions that need to be made.
Have confidence in your decision making: There have been many times where the President and I needed to make some drastic and quick changes. Don’t doubt your ability to handle new and challenges decision.
Have a Balance: Don’t check your executive team group chat messages past 7pm, you’re a full-time student and have other responsibilities, when constantly thinking about HCC, it can cause you to feel overwhelmed, instead try doing some self care. Allowing yourself to recharge will take you a long way.
I will always recommend being a part of an executive team, especially at Her Campus Carleton, I was able to learn a lot about leadership, meeting amazing women on this team, and able to uplift Women and my South Asian culture through my writing.
HCXO, your 2024-25 Vice President, Harkiren