Hey, everyone! As the editor-in-chief of Her Campus at Chapel Hill, I’m loving this new series in which our readers (you!) get to meet our team. This week, you’re meeting Carissa, a writer and editor who joined our team this semester! You’ve probably already read some of Carissa’s amazing articles, but check them out if you haven’t! Carissa is a senior at UNC-CH, majoring in Comparative Literature. She also studies Japenese and is from Johannesburg, South Africa. Let’s give a warm welcome to Carissa!
Why did Her Campus appeal to you?
I had friends who were part of the Her Campus team, last semester, and I always heard great things about it. I thought it sounded like a fun idea to join, but at the time I was pulling my hair out over my senior honors thesis, and I didn’t want to add anything else to my plate. With my late-night, Red-Bull-infused thesis finally finished, however, I wanted to explore my creativity and writing style outside of academia. Her Campus has become something like a personal journal, these past few weeks (that is totally open to the public, but I try not to think about that), and it’s been a liberating experience to experiment with humor, vulnerability and a wide variety of topics.
What is your dream job/career path?
I have no idea! I thought I was going to be many different things as I was growing up (ranging from filmmaker to paleoanthropologist), but throughout university, my career aspirations have pointed to one common thing: I want to write, and I want my writing to resonate with people, whether someone finds something I said relatable or my personal struggles and triumphs help someone feel less alone in theirs. I’ll be pretty content no matter what I do.
What’s something that everyone should know about you?
I can’t own a real cat where I live right now, so I make up for it by owning a million cat-themed coffee mugs. They also enable my honestly shocking caffeine addiction.
You only have one birthday present. What do you want? (not money!)
I love knickknacks, and I keep anything from pebbles to receipts in a box under my bed. If anyone gives me a gift, no matter how small or random, I will probably keep it forever. If I had to choose one birthday present, though, it would be a fancy coffee maker.
What are three movies that describe your life?
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron because I watched it every day, as a kid, and I was definitely the weird horse girl throughout middle school. The Neverending Story, another childhood favorite that resonated with my love for, well, stories. And lastly, Stardust because I’m a sap.
What is your perfect day like?
Lately, a perfect day for me is waking up early on a Saturday morning to welcome some friends over for warm drinks, breakfast and a game of Dungeons and Dragons. Afterward, we go out for lunch, or I spend the rest of the day relaxing on my couch.
What are your hobbies?
I don’t get out much, these days (work and school tend to do that), but some hobbies I’d love to pursue more are horse riding and hiking. When I get a few precious hours to relax at home, I enjoy playing games and reading.