I remember stepping foot for the first time on campus here at Coastal Carolina University to attend a campus tour. I was familiar with half the campuses I applied to, and the other half I was interested in, but quite honestly didn’t know if I would attend – Coastal Carolina, being the latter. The campus tour was beautiful and much different than other campuses I knew of. From 10th grade, after a summer law mentorship at the University of Pennsylvania, I knew I wanted to major in forensic psychology, which isn’t a common undergraduate degree (just yet, but is growing in popularity). As a self-proclaimed city girl, who grew up in a concrete jungle, I never thought in a million years I would go to a school less than 20 miles from the beach and palm trees galore. With a full ride, the specific concentration I wanted, the beauty of the campus, and some family members nearby, I knew where I wanted to be. So, as of August 2019, I officially started my college journey as a Chanticleer.
College wasn’t easy. I knew that it wouldn’t be. I spent more nights crying about assignments and general stressors than I care to admit. I would search endlessly to find a job in the psychology field that I could use just a high-school degree in, simply because I was losing sleep over the school. I watched my sister, who is 20+ years into a great career with no college degree, and thought to myself, “why didn’t I just try that?” However, as I said before, I knew what I wanted to do with my life, and getting through an undergraduate degree was just my first step. Again, I started college in 2019, so it wasn’t long before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world like a sack of bricks. Part of me felt robbed, especially from core classes I would much rather have taken in person. Despite the feelings of stress, long nights, a global pandemic, and my fear of failure, I knew that I could do it. I’m leaving Coastal Carolina with a consistent streak of Dean’s and President’s list awards, so yes – I was able to do it.
COVID-19 had also begun to isolate me from meeting more peers since most of my classes were online even in the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters. One night, in late March 2021, I was scrolling on Instagram and saw a post from Her Campus at Coastal Carolina calling for writers. A lightbulb went off, as I realized this was something I could possibly do to meet people and feel more like part of my campus in such isolating times. I used to write much more than I do now, especially creative writing. I went to a performing arts school from K-12, and creative writing was my focus from 3rd to 7th grade. I remember my favorite performing art teacher, Ms. Owens (that was her name at the time) allowing me, a 4th and 5th grader, to work with her 6th to 8th-grade students who declared creative writing as their “major.” The support I received from Ms. Owens, her upper-level students, and other teachers were the driving motivations behind my writing. I would write stories using all my classmates, and many of them anticipated my “next chapter” to see what would happen. When I got to 8th grade until high school graduation, I was a film major, and focused on writing scripts and directing. I always wrote, even when it wasn’t for public consumption. Writing always helped me mentally and was kind of my scapegoat.
Back to Her Campus – I officially joined in April 2021. While I only had a few weeks of being part of this organization before summer and meetings were only on Zoom, I fell in love. The team was always supportive, and I remember having little awards at the end of the semester. Despite my short time there, I was given one for “Unsung Hero,” and I don’t think I’ll ever forget that. I realized that I could use my writing not only for fun escapes from stressful work (such as Woman Crush Wednesdays) but for more important advocacy issues – especially relating to mental health. When given the opportunity to fill the executive position of Treasurer, I took it. I like to be part of leadership, and I wanted to be able to be even more influential in this organization. For March 2022, I organized a fundraiser for the New Directions Women’s Shelter of Myrtle Beach, and our chapter raised over $500. That felt so good and so important to me. As the next semester was gearing up, I was considered for and given the role of President of our chapter. I have loved every minute of being part of Her Campus, from being a shy new member to leaving as the President. While being part of the executive board, I saw so much growth in the organization, and I hope it continues beyond my departure. I have met people who I never want to lose touch with because I cannot wait to see every single one of them succeed beyond expectations. Lastly, I am so grateful that I did not mindlessly scroll past that Instagram post.
Preparing to graduate college has been a whirlwind of emotions. I am happy to look back and see my “wins”, both academically and socially. However, I am sad. College is said to be the best time of your life, and when you’re undergoing so much stress and anxiety, it gets really hard to see that. Looking back, I really did have a great 3.5 years here at Coastal Carolina University. I will be forever grateful for these memories. So, this is my bittersweet farewell to CCU, and an even more bittersweet goodbye to Her Campus at Coastal Carolina.
With love,
Kaitlin Serad: Fall 2022 President of Her Campus at Coastal Carolina, signing off.
XO