This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at DePaul chapter.
Name: Victoria Meschino (Tori)
Hometown: Arlington Heights, IL
Major (Minor, if it applies): Double Major in Interactive and Social Media and Media and Cinema Studies, Minor in General Psychology
Dream Job: User Experience Designer and freelance writer #sidehustle
Campus Involvement: Her Campus DePaul, HerCDM, Chi Omega Fraternity, Upsilon Pi Epsilon, Spectrum DePaul
Why are you a Campus Celebrity?
I’m a 2-year campus correspondent for Her Campus DePaul and have been with it since before it was even an official organization on campus. I also run HerCDM, another campus organization, and have been on the executive board for two years. I’m a DePaul Woman of Spirit and Action, a double major and a minor, and a frequent roast beef sandwich eater. I dressed as Marty McFly on Back to the Future day. Any of these could be reasons I was asked to fill this profile out!
In your own words, what is Her Campus?
Her Campus is an international blogging magazine website for college-aged women. It’s sort of the mid-step between reading Seventeen magazine and moving on to the late-twenties/early-thirties magazines like Elle or Cosmopolitan. The best part? All the content is written by college-aged women so the content is really relatable and realistic.
What’s the purpose of Her Campus?
Her Campus was made to fill a gap in the media industry. The audience of the college-aged woman wasn’t fulfilled by magazines (too old for Seventeen, too young and/or poor to subscribe to Cosmo or get anything out of the articles), and Her Campus found a niche market there. Its purpose is to provide relatable content in a number of subjects (LGBTQA, make-up, greek life, study tips, etc.) for this special market.
How long have you been a part of Her Campus?
I joined as a writer in January 2014, transitioned to CC (Campus Correspondent) in May of 2014, and have been in that position ever since! When I retire this Spring, I’d like to transition into a Chapter Advisor role or possibly intern for Her Campus. I adore Her Campus.
What is your favorite article you’ve written for Her Campus?
I got to interview the two stars of Transformers 4 which was a surreal experience. They were so down-to-earth and the interview was so easy. They were impressed with the level of professionalism (I had done my research on them before preparing my questions), and Nicola Peltz even complimented my handwriting. I got to talk to movie stars because of Her Campus. That’s quite the opportunity!
What is your favorite type of article to write for us and why?
I love my blog articles! They give so much freedom to the writer to express herself. I’ve written one, “Beating the Winter Blues” about seasonal depression, I got to interview my fellow Rho Gammas about the recruitment experience, and I got to be bitter about what singles can do on Valentine’s Day. Anything I could think of could get published. That fact makes me feel really empowered.
What’s your favorite part of being a member of Her Campus and what’s your favorite memory?
The community. I love writing, but I haven’t done much of it since I’ve taken on this position and others across campus. What has stayed constant for me is the camaraderie that we as a team feel when we get together for general body meetings or little Chicago hangouts. There’s a level of mutual respect and that we’re not better than one another and we’re all there for the same purpose: to write. My favorite memory is probably the Fall Involvement Fair because we worked so hard to become an official organization and we finally got to talk about how special Her Campus is with tons of women at DePaul.
Where could we find you on campus? (favorite study spot, etc.)
You can find me running around the Loop like a chicken with my head cut off. Most likely I’m in CDM or 14 E Jackson doing homework at the last minute. I like to study at Bourgeois Pig (although it’s too cold for me to be willing to walk there) and eat crepes at Creperie De Paris on Webster literally every week.
What’s a normal day in the life of Her Campus’s Campus Correspondent?
I wake up, check my email, groan because there’s like 10 from nationals and Chelle (because she emails me when she’s at work), pretend I didn’t see the emails, make breakfast, go to school, face my email when I’m supposed to be taking notes in class (I’m a great student and I know when the teacher is filling lecture time with nonsense, so I’m strategic with this), come home, get ready for a meeting if there is one that night, respond to GroupMe texts, try to write up ideas or plans to share with Chelle about changes/improvements we can make, and go to the meeting. The meetings are always a good time because everyone’s together and we’re goofing around. Then I pass out fully aware that I’ll have more loving emails from nationals and Chelle. I wouldn’t have it any other way.