Shailagh Lannon, known as Shai, is a well-known face around the Gustavus campus. Along with being president of the Gustavus chapter of Her Campus, she is very involved with Residential Life as a Collegiate Fellow in Pittman this year and future Community Coordinator in the International Center starting next fall. You can also find her singing in Chapel Choir or at Connecting Clouds events. She’s a sophomore Communication Studies major with an emphasis in Psychology and she hopes to go into journalism after graduation.
So tell me about what you do for Her Campus Gustavus.
“I am the Her Campus Gustavus president and I oversee the social media, events, and marketing teams. I am also the connecting point to the national chapter and correspond weekly with a national advisor.”
What made you want to start Her Campus at Gustavus?
“I really love the mission of Her Campus and I’m very passionate about empowering women, which is the central idea behind the magazine. I think it’s awesome that it serves as a launch pad for careers in journalism and I love that by bringing Her Campus to Gustavus, I’m giving so many other women an opportunity to excel in a field that is traditionally male dominated.”
What was the process like?
“It was a very long application process. Katie Allen, who is my co-founder, and I had to submit writing samples, resumes, a cover letter, and an application for the first portion. And then we had to submit plans for implementing all of the requirements for the magazine, like how we would publicize, and create a mock line-up of content. The third step was to do an edit test to show that we knew how to edit material according to Her Campus standards and how to potentially tell a writer how to make their piece better and what to change. The final part was a phone interview with Cara Chiaramonte.”
Who is Cara Chiaramonte?
“She is an employee of Her Campus as the Community Development Manager. She interviews chapter applicants and is the point of connection when chapters are started, so she is our national advisor. We also have a mentor named Amanda Jones who is on a Her Campus team at Western University.”
What has been your favorite part of working with Her Campus?
“I’ve just really loved getting to spend time with and getting to know people that I wouldn’t have otherwise. It’s a very diverse team so far, and I’ve already started to develop strong friendships.”
Where do you see Her Campus Gustavus going in the future?
“Considering we already have 19 members after only being established a few months ago, I see Her Campus Gustavus being a very successful organization. I would love to see the content improve with each and every week and I hope that by the time I graduate, I’ll be able to send Her Campus Gustauvus team members to Her Campus conferences, watch my team members continue on this career path, and make Gustavus a place where the female voice is a strong and shining presence.”
How would someone get involved in Her Campus Gustavus? It sounds pretty awesome to me.
“Anyone who wants to be a part of Her Campus can apply – even boys! You can start by emailing gustavus@hercampus.com. Katie or I will get in touch with you about the next steps, which include figuring out what your interests and strengths are so we know what team to place you on, whether it be writing, social media, events, marketing, and things like that.”
I know that you and Katie were close friends before starting to work together, so what is it like to work with someone on a professional level when you also have a very close personal relationship?
“It definitely requires some thought. Before we began the application process, we discussed the things that might get in the way or be an issue because of our friendship. We decided that we needed to always talk about issues we have as friends right away so that tension in our friendship wouldn’t interfere with the success of the magazine. It’s also really cool having a friend as a ‘business partner’ because you know that you like the person you’re working with and you know their strengths and weaknesses.”
Shailagh Lannon with Co-Correspodent and Editor-In-Chief Katie Allen
Ending on a fun note, what’s your favorite meal from the caf?
“I love ordering a personal pizza from the Cyclone Pizzeria with pepperoni, sausage, green peppers, and no cheese since I’m lactose intolerant. Even though they’re gluten free, they’re amazing and it only takes fifteen minutes.”