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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at ICU (Japan) chapter.

As our first term as an official Her Campus chapter comes to an end, our executive board decided to come together to reflect on out accomplishments this spring. From COVID-19 to future plans for our chapter we discuss it all!

 

Why Her Campus?

I’ve always been interested in starting a new club in order to create opportunities for those around me, so when Sarah came to me with this idea, I couldn’t say no! I wanted to create a community that was open to people with unique backgrounds and a platform for people to express their talents and try something new. 

– Lisa (HCICU President)

 

I think writing is an important creative outlet, and I felt like ICU lacked a place for English-dominant writers to express themselves. I also think HCICU is a great place for Japanese-dominant writers to try their hand at casual English writing, as opposed to the rigid academic writing taught at ICU!

-Sarah (Editor in Chief)

 

I major in media studies, and an aspect I really look into is the power of social media. I wanted to join to be a part of a new community and also to have a hands-on experience with marketing and advertising on SNS. 

– Satomi (Social Media Director)

 

I met a girl who was a part of Her Campus at UCF before coming to ICU. When I heard from Lisa and Sarah about starting a new chapter at ICU, I knew that I wanted to help them and be a part of the team. I finally found the right place to express my ideas and connect with students at ICU!

-Ayaka (Events and Publicity Director)

 

Before I entered ICU, I was interested in journalism and wanted a place to express myself. When I first heard about HCICU, I immediately knew that it was the platform that I’ve been looking for!

-Yukiko (Senior Editor)

 

Expectations vs. Reality

I’m sure we all expected fun team bonding events, group meetings, challenges and successes and even just the bare minimum of meeting each other face to face but unfortunately that wasn’t the reality. Starting a club in the middle if the pandemic was stressful to think about because I was worried about how we would recruit new members, how we would motivate our team, and even how to communicate with one another. Thankfully, with so much love and support, our reality wasn’t so bad after all. We couldn’t do much in person, but we definitely took advantage of various tools online to brainstorm, write, and publish articles, host online events, and create content for our social media. I am so proud of how far we have come in just three months and I can’t wait to see what the future brings us. 

-Lisa 

 

Vision for The Future

HCICU is such a great team even in the virtual world, so I’m really excited to meet all the members in person and create something new—something only HCICU could create! One of my personal goals is to host an amazing booth at our ICU Festival event this autumn!

-Yukiko

 

We’ve only started three months ago and I’m really proud of how far we’ve come in this short amount of time. I want HCICU to be a community that continues to spread positivity and awareness! I hope we can become a community that is here for everyone. 

-Satomi

 

I think the energy that HCICU members have right now is excellent, so I hope we can maintain our energy and passion! We’d love to have a more tightly bonded team and to welcome new members! 

-Ayaka

 

We’ve written so many fun articles and I hope that we can continue to churn out amazing pieces! In the future, I hope that we can continue to diversify our articles to reflect the voice of ICU as a whole!

-Sarah

 

What We Love About Her Campus

I hove how HC not only creates bonds within a chapter but also with other HC chapters. I love how HC brings freshness to a campus by providing a platform for students’ voices and talents!

-Lisa

 

I love that HC has allowed me to realize that I have a passion for editing! It has been an absolute pleasure editing the work of such creative writers, and I hope that my role as Editor in Chief has given my team confidence in their talents. 

-Sarah

 

I love HC because it’s a place for everyone! I love the people and with our HC, I probably would have never had the chance to meet so many of our members! I also think it’s great that there are so many chapters around the world, and I hope we get the collaborate with other chapters in the future!

-Satomi

 

I really love the people of HCICU because everyone has high ambitions and inspire me so much! I love that we can talk about fun topics but also share serious and sensitive subjects, because we listen, respect each other, and educate ourselves. 

-Ayaka

 

I love HC because it’s a platform where people can be honest. In this modern world, it can be difficult to express your feelings honestly, and it can even be stressful to do so. Both HC and HCICU are open to those who wish to be honest, and that’s why I love this platform most. 

-Yukiko

Lisa Ichioka

ICU (Japan) '22

Lisa, the head of the Her Campus chapter at the International Christian University, is currently a sophomore studying business. Being a third-culture kid, she enjoys eating and making foreign cuisines. In her free time she is probably calling her friends overseas, listening to music, watching funny videos, or cleaning her room.
Sarah Ishikawa

ICU (Japan) '21

Sarah Ishikawa is currently serving as Editor in Chief and Campus Correspondent for Her Campus at ICU Japan. She is a senior studying English and American literature. On her days off you'll probably find her at a museum, coffee shop, or just at home getting things done.
Satomi Hayashi

ICU (Japan) '22

Hey, I'm Satomi Hayashi, apart of Her Campus ICU Japan! I hope to have fun writing and working with fellow Her Campus members!!
Ayaka Kuroki

ICU (Japan) '22

Hi! I am Ayaka and am currently a senior at International Christian University, majoring in sociology. I was born in Japan, grew up in Singapore, Taiwan, and UAE-Dubai. I simply love nature, traveling, eating, and singing.
Yukiko Takei

ICU (Japan) '22

Hi, I am Yukiko and am currently studying at the University of Gothenburg as exchange student remotely, majoring in public policy.