It’s that time of the year when we, as graduating seniors, are preparing to say goodbye to the hill we have called home for the past four years. Some of us have been involved with Her Campus Kenyon for every day of those four years, and some of us just joined at the beginning of the school year. Regardless of how long we have been members of the HCK family, though, this publication and this group of people means a lot to us. So here we are to express those feelings in the best way we know how: by writing an article.
Lexi Bollis
Major: English with Creative Writing
Years with Her Campus Kenyon: 4
Positions Held: Writer, Social Media Coordinator, President, Editor-in-Chief
When I came to Kenyon, I knew I wanted to be part of a group of compassionate and intelligent women. I was also looking forward to taking advantage of the literary opportunities Kenyon has to offer. With Her Campus Kenyon, I was fortunate to find both. During my time as a writer, I had the opportunity to share my opinions and refine the way I present myself to the world. It was empowering (and this is not a buzzword I use lightly) to have the freedom to write articles about whatever I wanted. As a President and Editor-in-Chief of the publication for the past two years, I have learned more than I ever thought possible. I discovered a love of editing, of helping others find the perfect words to share pieces of their hearts and souls with the great, wide world.
All in all, Her Campus Kenyon has been a true gift. My time with the publication has given me the leadership and communication skills that no class would ever be able to teach me. It has given me some wonderful moments full of laughter and joy, and even some with tears and pain. It has given me a relationship with my Co-President, Ines, one of my best friends. And it has given me many more special friendships with the writers that the publication has drawn in over the years. Thank you for everything, HCK.
Inês Forjaz de Lacerda
Major: English
Years with Her Campus Kenyon: 4
Positions Held: Writer, Social Media Coordinator, President, Editor-in-Chief
Her Campus Kenyon was the first organization I ever joined on campus, and to this day I am thankful that I chose to stop by the Her Campus booth that fateful August day. Our team was small at the beginning, but it was as tight-knit then as it is now. I can still clearly remember when my first HCK article went up and my fellow writer Jenna left me a congratulatory sticky-note on my door. It was at that moment that I realized I joined a really special organization. Now, over three years later, I still think it was one of the best decisions I ever made in my college career. I have learned something in all of my positions—writer, social media coordinator, president, editor-in-chief—and these are the lessons I will carry with me beyond Kenyon. HCK has taught me how to be kind, dependable, and tough, and how to use these qualities not just as a student, but also as an intersectional feminist. Thank you, HCK.
Jessica Berger
Major: English and Classics
Years with Her Campus Kenyon: 4
Positions Held: WriterTo me, Her Campus has been a free space to write whatever I want. I have always struggled to write just for me. I’ve tried keeping journals and writing stories but I’ve never been able to keep up with them. Her Campus has been that weekly push to write something without any limitations. Very rarely have I gotten a “no” from an editor about an idea that I have been pursuing. It’s been a way to express myself, both in my written words and in the words I speak out loud during meetings. It’s been a way to let off steam, to say things that have been stirring inside of me by finally letting them out onto my computer screen. I have never been an editor or held any sort of leadership position simply because I don’t have the time. But I still feel like I am a part of this organization as much as anybody else. The fact that I have been writing for Her Campus every single year since I have been at Kenyon means a lot to me, and that the same girls I joined with as a freshman are still here, and that this organization is going stronger than we ever have been, makes me feel like I am a part of something bigger than myself. I will definitely miss that consistency of Thursday dinner meetings and turning in my articles at the beginning of every week. I will definitely miss the amazing people that I have met through this organization. And I will miss this incredible community of empowered women.
Reagan Neviska
Major: Anthropology
Years with Her Campus Kenyon: 3.5
Positions Held: Writer, National Viral Writer
Her Campus Kenyon was the group I was most excited to come to join when I came to Kenyon because, as a prospective student, it was Her Campus articles, more than any other publications, which I chose to look at. Her Campus has been a home for the kind of writing that I most want to do, the kind that means something to me. It’s been amazing to publish the kind of content that I want to read, whether that’s funny or serious. Not only has the group been a major part in discovering who I am as a writer and as a person, but it has also been an amazing way to meet phenomenal women on campus. The group has, above everything else given me friendships that I believe will last a lifetime. I’ve lived with Jessica, whom I met as a First-Year in HCK, for three years, and I met one of our other housemates, Amy, during my first meeting, when we both showed up ten minutes too early. I’ve loved seeing the group grow over the past four years, and while I may be leaving, I will continue to read the content, just as I did before I came to Kenyon. While HCK has been a topic of campus debate over the years, I’m proud to write for and be part of a group of empowered women who produce incredibly diverse content. #ProudToBePink
Emily Stegner
Majors: English with Creative Writing and Classics
Years with Her Campus Kenyon: 2.5
Positions Held: Writer, Marketing and Publicity Director
Before I came to Kenyon, I’ll admit that I didn’t really understand feminism and I was skeptical about Her Campus. However, after reading the content my two close friends, Lexi Bollis and Jenna Wendler, who joined HCK our freshmen year, were writing as well as all the other amazing content written by the rest of the group, I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of. I was most drawn in by the fact that I could write whatever I wanted, and explore my voice as a writer on a new platform that other people could actually read. To me, Her Campus has meant finding my voice as a woman and as a feminist, and learning that writing about the things that matter to me can make people think. During my time as a Marketing and Publicity Director, I helped coordinate a campus event where the ladies of HCK asked people to respond to the question “Why Do You Need Feminism?” on white boards. It was a serious, though fun and friendly event that helped spark active dialogue around campus about the importance of feminism, and I was so proud of HCK and Kenyon that it was a success. Overall, it’s been a pleasure to be a part of Her Campus Kenyon while it’s has grown and improved to reach Pink Status, and I’m eager to see what other great things our team will accomplish after we’re gone.
Sarah Lloyd
Majors: History and Art History
Years with Her Campus Kenyon: 1
Positions Held: Writer I joined Her Campus as a senior after the end of a year-long journalism internship with Swimming World Magazine as a way to continue my writing and I’m so glad that I did. I was attracted to the variety of articles that Her Campus published, from political views and social commentary, to satirical advice about relationships and genuine lists of feel-good movies. The writers were authentic, quirky, and honest, which gave life to the articles I was reading. Her Campus has offered me not only a creative outlet for all of the words that swirl around my head on any given day, but also an amazingly open and supportive community of strong, talented, opinionated, and thoughtful women. It has given me a platform to express myself as a woman, a feminist, an athlete, and a student in an authentic way. While I honestly wish I had joined Her Campus sooner than I did, I’m thankful that I took the step this year and met some real all-stars along the way.
Thank you to everyone who has been part of our college journey, and a special thanks to the rest of our Her Campus Kenyon family. We love you!
Image Credit: Her Campus Kenyon, Annmarie Morrison, Kanika Kamal, Zoe Tatarsky, Lexi Bollis, Celia Oberholzer