I can’t believe this is my last Her Campus article! It has been such a pleasure to write for and lead this club over my four years of college. I wanted to take this article to reflect on my wonderful experiences with Her Campus Colgate and close out strong.
I remember seeing the Her Campus booth at the club fair just a couple weeks into college, and I walked up to learn more. After handing me a brownie, seniors Sarah and Macklin explained that the club writes articles for women in college and that they were reviving Colgate’s chapter. I signed up for the email list, went to the first meeting, and I guess, the rest is history.
Coming into college, I thought of myself as a strong writer but didn’t necessarily enjoy writing for fun. Her Campus gave me the opportunity to write about any topic that I wanted (that’s literally how we pitch it at the club fair) which made it feel like a low pressure, fun way to challenge myself. I discovered that I really liked writing wellness centered articles, my first one being “How to Combat the Colgate Cough”. It was cool to be able to format my articles in listicles and publish in the style of the advice that I would give to my friends. I’ve been proud of all the articles I’ve written since, and I hope to take this joyful writing with me after graduation, potentially in the form of a Substack blog or other medium.
I have also enjoyed getting to have a leadership role in the chapter. At the end of my first year, Sarah and Macklin tapped two older girls to be the new Presidents and asked me to be the Vice President. I liked getting to take on a more active role in our bi-weekly meetings and help organize events. Moving up to being President for the past two years has also been enjoyable. Whether thinking of new ways to track and spotlight articles or forming an executive board to involve more members, I loved being able to help shape the chapter.
Of course, my favorite part of Her Campus has been the community. It’s always so nice to catch up with other members at meetings and talk about random Colgate or pop culture drama during article ideas brainstorming and then getting to say hello around campus. Our staple events like Valentine’s Day card making and flower bouquet making are always a great way to connect, and I’ve also valued the gatherings that we have had at the seniors’ apartments over the years where we are able to enjoy each other’s advice and just hang out. I’ve had opportunities to connect with the larger Her Campus community as well at the two Her Conferences I attended with my best friend Amanda (we met at that very first Her Campus meeting!).
I’ll always consider Her Campus to be a highlight of my college experience and a formative part of my identity as a writer and woman. I hope the Colgate chapter continues to grow and provide a space for other women to find their voices as writers and build community on campus. I’ll certainly be writing listicles into the future and keeping up with the chapter on the Instagram account. Bye for now, Her Campus!