Hilarious. Down to earth. Speaks her mind. Passionate. Songbird of her generation.
In the four years I’ve known her, I’ve heard Chloe Hobgood described as many things, but the one that stands out the most is leader (and okay, I might have exaggerated and borrowed from Step-Brothers in the one about her musical abilities, but she really does have a killer voice). Her name is well-known around Milledgeville and with good reason: this 21-year-old Mass Communications major is not only extremely involved in her sorority, but the Georgia College campus as well. With so much going on, it’s hard to believe that she has any free time, but she had time to answer a few questions for HerCampus!
You’re very involved in different things on campus. What kinds of things to do you in your spare time?Even though I sometimes over-involve myself (I still don’t know how to tell people no sometimes) I always find time to maintain my sanity. I’m an avid Netflix watcher, most recently I started watching Prison Break and even though I nearly go into cardiac arrest every episode, I can’t stop watching. Also I’ve recently started practicing the art of meditation. It takes a lot of focus and it isn’t as easy as it seems but when things start getting crazy I just go into my little room in the ZTA house, turn off the lights, turn on some tunes, and sit. It is awesome.
You are an active member of the sorority Zeta Tau Alpha and have had many leadership positions within the chapter. What has it been like seeing your chapter grow and how have those leadership positions helped you grow?I can’t put into words how much Zeta Tau Alpha has given me. Coming into college if someone had told me that I would one day become the Vice President of this organization I would have laughed in their face, but here I am. As a new member, I was on the programs council as the sisterhood chair and that was my first taste of leadership in the chapter. Last year was my first year on executive council, and I learned more about myself as a leader than I thought I ever would. Serving as Vice President this year has given me a whole new appreciation for this group of women and the amazing things that they have taught me. I have absolutely loved being able to lead this chapter alongside some of the most amazing girls on EC and as a chapter we are headed towards such amazing things. It makes it a little more bittersweet that I will be leaving soon.
You’ve gone out of the country every summer since you started college. What made you want to involved in this kind of work and how have those experiences been like? What was your favorite part about working in Liberia? The Bahamas? Do you plan on going back to the Bahamas this summer?I’ve always had a passion for missions, and throughout highschool I dreamed of traveling internationally to do mission work and just to experience the world around me. When my church announced they would be going to Liberia to work in an orphanage I knew I had to go. Ever since that first summer I have been traveling out of the country for trips ever since. I’ve never experienced a typical college summer but I am totally okay with that. For two summers I traveled back to Liberia to work in a small village just outside of Monrovia. The kids remembered me and wanted nothing more to be loved and held. It was an amazing feeling to be able to tell them how loved they were and to spend quality time getting to know them. I was happy that I was able to watch them grow and learn. The past two summers I have interned with Bahamas Methodist Habitat. Last summer was a big first for me. I spent seven weeks on the island of Eleuthera leading different church groups as they came down for week long trips through BMH. We focused mainly on hurricane relief and working in an afterschool program but here I was able to really grow as a leader and in my faith. I was taken completely out of my comfort zone for a long period of time and forced to face myself and my inner thoughts and beliefs. Last summer was a major turning point for me and one of the best experiences of my life. This summer I went back to Eleuthera after studying abroad in Florence, Italy for a month. It was a different experience my second summer but that is what I love so much about the island. It forces me out of my comfort zone to learn new things about myself and the world around me. I have grown so much as a person and a leader and I am forever grateful for that.
Do you plan on doing anything with Bahamas Methodist Habitat after graduation?After graduation, my short term plan is to move to The Bahamas for a year to work with BMH. I owe a lot to this organization and I can’t think of anything better than living alongside the people who have done so much for me and learning more about how to run a nonprofit organization. If for some reason that doesn’t work out my backup plan is to join the peace corps. I’ve learned that they best way to learn about yourself is to also learn as much as you can about the world around you. The peace corps has always been an option for me.
Where do you see yourself in ten years?Long-term, I would love to be a writer for a magazine or a screenwriter for TV shows. I live to make people laugh and smile. A talk show would be cool too…I hear Chelsea Lately’s show is going off the air so I think that means it is my time to shine.
If you want to see more of Chloe, check out any Zeta Tau Alpha events or GC’s acapella group Bobcat Beats!