If you aren’t familiar with Her Campus at the University of Kansas, then you probably don’t know much about our team! In the “Meet the Team” series, I will be interviewing the girls on the executive board, so you can get to know us better. To start, I sat down with Laura Richey, our social media executive, who happens to be a double major in Film and Media Studies and Strategic Communications.
“I joined [Her Campus] because I wanted to get involved at KU and meet women outside of Greek life. Her Campus is an organization that does exactly what I love doing, creating content which made it a perfect match for me – in addition to being a kickass welcoming group of women. I know I chose the right organization.” Laura and her kickass social media team plans all of our content, and works hard to provide aesthetically pleasing and feminine empowering posts for our social media.
However, Laura also works independently on the side, and has her own YouTube channel.
In the future, Laura wants to create content and tell stories. However, she says that she still doesn’t know directly what that job would look like, because there are so many fields in the media industry. “I don’t want to narrow myself into any certain window,” she states, talking about how she’d rather be open to the opportunities. “I just want to let things play out for themselves, trust fate a little,” she adds.
Her biggest influence on social media is Lucy Fink, (https://luciefink.com/), a video producer and lifestyle host. Laura looks up to Lucy for many reasons, but mostly because she has her own niche inside a broader spectrum of Refinery 29. In the future, wherever she ends up, Laura wants to have the duality option of not just working alone, as being a part of a larger company would alleviate some anxiety that comes with the industry.
And when it comes to IRL influences, of course her Mom inspires her, as well as her professor Kerry Benson. When asked about what it’s like to have a personal relationship with a professor, Laura says, “It seems really intimidating in a big lecture hall to get to know a professor, but when you go to office hours, they’re really nice, helpful, and super knowledgeable.”
Something Laura has used Professor Benson’s advice on is internships. Laura started early in her internship experience, at age 17, and recommends this to all young individuals looking to advance in the professional world. “Your first internship doesn’t have to be flashy or amazing, because you build your way up in experience,” she adds. Laura’s dream internship is at Paramount or Refinery 29, and would ideally end up in Los Angeles or New York.
When asked for personal advice for our readers, Laura confidently said, “Be yourself and prioritize spending time doing work on yourself. Discover what you really, genuinely like. In high school, I tried to be someone like everyone else in order to fit in, but in college I focused on self-discovery and it’s made all the difference.”
You can follow Laura on YouTube and Instagram, and catch her daily postings to our social media accounts!